Title:
Reinforced Concrete Protects Tanks Against Rock Falls
Author(s):
German Gurfinkel
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
11
Issue:
12
Appears on pages(s):
77-80
Keywords:
protectors; reinforced concrete; shells (structural forms); structural design; tanks (containers); Design
DOI:
Date:
12/1/1989
Abstract:
Twenty tall steel tanks were placed on an elevated concrete base along and very close to a property boundary, at the toe of a steep rock slope. Not long after, small falling rocks hit some of the tanks at the rock face, and the owners asked the author to investigate the problem. A study of the rock slope showed that it was sedimentary and composed of a sequence of bedding planes that were irregular and wavy. The face of the slope had a serrated appearance and there were irregular, near-vertical cracks that promoted unstable wedges. Further loosening and fallout of additional rocks were likely because of delayed effects of the initial blasting, potential ground water pressure, erosion, and further weathering of the exposed rock. However, massive, catastrophic failure of the rock slope was ruled out by a geological study of the area.