Investigation into the Collapse of a Steel Storage Tank at a Waste Water Treatment Plant

The presentation will describe the circumstances around the collapse of the roof structure of a 74 ft.-diameter steel sludge storage tank after only four months of service. The field work to collect data regarding the as-built configuration and material properties will be discussed, and possible causes will be presented, including inclement weather, improper operation, defective construction and design error. The 3D computer-modelling that was performed to determine the cause of the collapse by modelling both the as-built configuration of the roof framing.