Stability and Dynamic Analyses of Cooling Towers

The behavior of natural draft cooling tower wind pressure is investigated. Buckling loads of the towers of different meridianal curvatures and shell thicknesses are computed and compared. The results show that: (1) an increase in stiffness of the structure with an increase in meridianal curvature; and (2) changes of buckling load caused by changes in shell thickness is approximately proportional. A dynamic analysis of the tower is also presented. The response of the structure is increased by the dynamic effect. The amount of increase depends upon the wind time history.