ACI 350.3-06 PDF Download

ACI 350.3-06 is a standard that provides procedures for the seismic analysis and design of liquid-containing concrete structures. It is intended to complement ACI 350-06 and Chapter 21. The purpose of this standard is to fill a gap in existing national codes and standards by providing thorough and comprehensive procedures for the seismic design of all types of liquid-containing structures.

The standard was developed by ACI Committee 350, which recognized the unique nature of liquid-containing structures and the need for specific provisions for their seismic design. The seismic design subcommittee was tasked with producing a set of procedures that would enable practicing engineers to perform a full seismic analysis and design of such structures.

The procedures in ACI 350.3-06 cover both the loading side and the resistance side of seismic design. The loading side involves determining the seismic loads based on mapped maximum considered earthquake spectral response accelerations, while the resistance side involves the detailed design of the structure to safely resist those loads.

The standard includes provisions for all types of tanks, including rectangular and circular tanks, as well as reinforced and prestressed tanks. The scope of the procedures is consistent with the overall scope of ACI 350.

ACI 350.3-06 follows the practice of ACI 318 in limiting its seismic design provisions to the resistance side only. This allows for easier updates to the seismic provisions to keep up with changes and improvements in seismic hazard analysis.

The standard also includes specific design methods that differ from traditional methodologies. These include assumptions of amplification of response due to the natural frequency of the tank, the use of a response modification factor, combining impulsive and convective modes by square-root-sum-of-the-squares, inclusion of the effects of vertical acceleration, and an effective mass coefficient for the mass of the walls.