Elastic buckling of horizontal barrelled shells filled with liquid—Numerical analysis

In the paper an alternative for horizontal cylindrical tank is presented. The proposed solution has the form of a barrelled tank in which the classical cylindrical shell is replaced by the barrelled one. The geometry of this shape is described. The buckling behaviour of the horizontal barrelled shell filled with liquid is analysed. The liquid level and the negative internal pressure which appear during emptying of the tank are also taken into consideration. On the basis of numerical analyses number of plots as well as analytical formulae are elaborated as a tool for design of barrelled tank with respect of stability criterion. Analyses are made on three families of barrelled shells of different capacities. In each family the capacity and length are constant. Advantages of barrelled tanks in comparison with cylindrical one are discussed.

► A barrelled horizontal tank is presented as an alternative for a cylindrical one.
► Stability of tanks filled with liquid are analysed for different geometries.
► The advantages of barrelled tanks as compared to the cylindrical one are presented.
► Plots and formulae for the effective design of barrelled horizontal tank are given.