Numerical Analysis of the Bottom Thickness of Closed Rectangular Tanks Used as Pontoons

Abstract

This paper concerns the numerical analysis of closed rectangular tanks made in one stage, used as pontoons. Such structures can be successfully used as floating platforms, although they primarily serve as floats for ‘houses on water’. Amphibious construction has fascinated designers for many years and is becoming, in addition to a great and prestigious location for many purposes, a practical global necessity. Severe weather phenomena that no country is safe from, i.e., heavy rains or floods, combined with the scarcity of space intended for the construction of residential buildings, encourage development at the contact of water and land or on water only. This paper contains an analysis of the static work of tanks with different bottom thickness subjected to hydrostatic load acting on tank walls and the bottom plate and evenly distributed load acting on the upper plate, i.e., major impacts that occur when tanks are used as pontoons. Calculations were made using the finite difference method in terms of energy, assuming the Poisson’s ratio ν = 0. Based on the solutions obtained, charts were made that illustrated the change in bending moments at the characteristic points of the analysed tanks depending on acting loads. The article also includes calculations of buoyancy, stability and the metacentric height for tanks with different bottom thicknesses, with the main purpose being to improve and share knowledge on their safe use as pontoons.