Calculations regarding the overturning of fiberglass storage tanks

Thread Content

I’m sorry, I don’t know where to post this thread; please understand. I have a question that requires everyone’s help. Our company has a fiberglass storage tank, and it has been observed that it is tilting slightly to the south. There are no records of the original foundation inspection or of the processes used during the construction of the tank, so it’s not clear whether this tilting is caused by a sinking foundation. After using a level to check, we found that both the northern and southern sections of the tank tilt 5 centimeters to the south; the western side is straight, and the lower part of the eastern side is also straight. The middle part of the tank deviates 10 centimeters to the west – the maximum deviation – which indicates that the tank is not circular in shape. A total of 8 points are tested for the foundation; with 0 serving as the baseline in the southern direction, the values are higher in all other directions, with the maximum difference being 46 mm. In other words, the entire tank tilts towards the south, with the southern side of the foundation being the lowest point. So how can we calculate by how many degrees the tank will tip over?