Laboratory Experiments of Vertical Cylinders Representative of Aboveground Storage Tanks Subjected to Waves

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of laboratory experiments of vertical cylinders representative of aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) subjected to waves. The main objective is to provide an experimental dataset for the validation of finite element models of cylindrical structures subjected to wave loads during storm surge events. Four types of waves were considered in the experiments: regular waves, random waves, solitary waves, and double solitary waves. To investigate the interference created by an adjacent cylinder, three different configurations of the experiment were considered: a single test cylinder, a dummy cylinder located in front of the test cylinder, and no cylinders. The experimental data consist of pressures and wave runups recorded on the test cylinder and water surface elevations and water velocities recorded around the cylinders. This paper describes the experimental setup, experimental wave conditions, instrumentation, experimental plan, and curation process for open access of the experimental dataset. Samples and preliminary analyses of the experimental data are also presented to demonstrate the quality and relevance of the measurements for numerical benchmarking.