Design and nonlinear dynamic response of a steel stack

Abstract

Industrial stacks are built in order to reduce atmospheric pollution and release gases to the higher level of the atmosphere. Since they are high and slender structures, they are significantly affected by lateral forces, in particular, induced by winds and earthquakes. This paper aims to summarize the design principles for steel stacks given in the international standards, codes and specifications considering the evaluation of the results from the investigation on nonlinear dynamic response of a typical steel stack subjected to the earthquake. For this purpose, a typical self-supporting steel stack has been designed and its performance under earthquake and wind forces has been investigated in terms of the applied design principles, such as the displacement limit and the potential plastic deformations. The study is accomplished by using finite element models employing nonlinear time history and pushover analyses. The numerical results are presented particularly by considering the design principles used for the model. The results show that wind loads considered are more pronounced in the design of industrial steel stacks than earthquake especially in terms of limiting top displacement. The flue openings which reduce strength and lateral stiffness of the stack web is significantly effective in the lateral behavior of the stack. Moreover, the principles considered are found applicable for the design of such steel stacks. Based on the results from nonlinear time history analyses, no yielding and plastic deformation are detected along the stack.