Analysis of circular tank foundation on multi-layered soil subject to combined vertical and lateral loads

A circular tank foundation resting on the ground and subjected to axisymmetric horizontal and vertical loads and moments is analyzed using the variational principles of mechanics. The circular foundation is assumed to behave as a Kirchhoff plate with in-plane and transverse displacements. The soil beneath the foundation is assumed to be a multi-layered continuum in which the horizontal and vertical displacements are expressed as products of separable functions. The differential equations of plate and soil displacements are obtained by minimizing the total potential energy of the plate-soil system and are solved using the finite element and finite difference methods following an iterative algorithm. Comparisons with the results of equivalent two-dimensional finite element analysis and other researchers establish the accuracy of the method.