FI67427C - VAETSKE- ELLER GASBEHAOLLARE AV STAOLBETONGKONSTRUKTION - Google Patents

Description

67427

Reinforced concrete liquid or gas tank Vätske- eller gasbehallare av stalbetongkonstruktion

The invention relates to a tank structure intended for an underground tank, the casing of which is formed of a material impermeable to the substance to be stored and surrounded by spaced annular reinforcing elements.

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Underground steel-lined oil tanks have previously been constructed in such a way that the space between the tank's steel plate jacket and the rock is filled with concrete. In this case, the thickness of the concrete layer has varied between 0.1 and 2.0 m depending on the excavation accuracy. The disadvantage of such tanks is, above all, that a huge amount of concrete is required in the construction, which makes the construction of the tank very expensive. Due to the detrimental heat generation of the concrete, the disadvantage is that the steel wall tends to corrugate, which usually requires the use of a relatively thick steel wall and a very dense bolting.

15 The solidity of the concrete barrier prevents the use of the tank for storing cold liquids, as the steel casing tends to come off the concrete shell. Freezing of groundwater causes frost damage in concrete. In high tanks, the groundwater pressure, despite the drainage used, causes adverse loads on the structure. This known construction method is also time consuming, as a result of which the total cost of the tank becomes very high. The use of concrete casting is supported by the fact that the corrosion phenomenon in a thick steel casing can be treated by concrete casting.

Referring to the prior art, reference is also made to GB Patent No. 2066882, according to which a tank wall consists of an innermost steel jacket, a concrete wall in which at vertical intervals the wall forms a horizontal ring, a waterproof film (e.g. a polyethylene film) and horizontal stone rings. The rock baskets 30 lead from the land surrounding the water to the drains below the bottom level of the tank.

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The object of the invention is to provide an improvement on the currently known container structures. It is a more detailed object of the invention to provide an underground tank in which a much thinner steel jacket can be used. It is a further object of the invention to provide an underground tank in the construction of which considerably less concrete is required. It is an object of the invention to provide an underground tank in which cold liquids can also be easily stored. It is also an object of the invention to provide an underground tank in which there are no water problems. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an underground tank which is fast in construction and considerably cheaper in construction costs.

The objects of the invention are achieved by an underground reservoir structure, which is mainly characterized in that the reinforcing elements are connecting elements 15 provided with anchoring elements by means of which the reservoir is anchored in rock or earth.

Other features of the container structure according to the invention are set out in claims 2-4.

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Numerous significant advantages are achieved with the container structure according to the invention. The steel shell of an underground tank structure can be made considerably thinner. In addition, considerably less concrete is required than in previously known similar structures. In a tank for the storage of cold liquids, a concrete ring acting as a connecting element can be thermally insulated from the rock between the anchoring point necessary for support. In the underground tank structure according to the invention, the groundwater problem can also be solved in a reliable manner. The invention further enables a very cheap and fast construction method, as a result of which the casing structure of the underground tank according to the invention becomes considerably cheaper than the previously known on-site cast structure.

In addition, the relatively light and tough structure according to the invention is more resistant to earthquake loads, the strength of the structure is easy to change according to the load, and the excavation accuracy of the trench wall does not have a decisive effect on construction costs.

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The invention will be explained in detail with reference to some preferred embodiments of the invention shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings, to which, however, the invention is not intended to be exclusively limited.

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Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of an underground tank.

Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of a preferred embodiment of an underground tank structure according to the invention.

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Figure 3 shows a vertical section of detail A of Figure 2.

In the embodiment according to Figures 1-3, the underground tank structure according to the invention is generally indicated by reference number 10. In this embodiment, the jacket of the cylindrical tank 10 is made of reinforced concrete elements 11 with a steel plate 13, which are cast at the construction site according to the progress of the installation work. The reinforced concrete rings 13 are anchored to the rock or ground 20 by steel bolts 14. The space between the shell of the tank 10 and the wall of the trench is filled with light or natural gravel 15 or other filling material. The roof 16 of the tank 10 can be constructed of steel-lined concrete elements similar to the reinforced concrete elements 11. However, in liquid tanks the roof 16 and the base 17 are most preferably made of steel sheet in a manner known per se. In cold tanks, the roof must also be thermally insulated. Drainage pipes 18 are installed in the jacket and bottom of the tank 10, which drain the leaking water out of the trench.

The underground tank structure according to the invention is thus characterized in that the jacket of the tank 10 is surrounded by spaced annular connecting elements 13. The connecting elements 13 are provided with anchoring elements 14 by means of which the tank 10 is anchored in rock or earth. The invention is not critical to the material of the shell 10 of the container. The jacket is preferably supported by a concrete-structured block 35 and is preferably a steel plate 12. The jacket is preferably formed of prefabricated parts 11 and such overlapping prefabricated parts 11 are connected as a connecting structure by means of a connecting element 67. The connecting element 13 is preferably a concrete ring cast on site. The concrete ring 13 can be insulated from the rock with suitable thermal insulation, whereby the tank 10 is also suitable for storing very cold liquids. The space between the connecting elements 13 is filled with a suitable intermediate material 15. The intermediate material 15 is preferably a highly water-permeable material, such as sand, gravel, light gravel or the like. In certain applications, the intermediate material 15 is a thermal insulator, such as polyurethane, light gravel, light gravel concrete, foam glass, or the like. The intermediate material 15 may be land from construction site 10, e.g. when the tank is being built downwards.

In such application cases, where the jacket of the container 10 does not necessarily have to be a steel plate 12, the jacket can be, for example, a coating, e.g. a reinforced plastic or just a concrete element.

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Only preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications may be made to them within the scope of the inventive idea set out in the appended claims.

Claims (4)

67427 4 Container structure for an underground tank (10), the casing of which is formed of a material impermeable to the substance to be stored and surrounded by spaced annular reinforcing elements, characterized in that the reinforcing elements are connecting elements (13) provided with anchoring elements (14) by means of which the reservoir (10) is anchored in rock or earth. Container structure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the jacket of the container (10) is formed by prefabricated parts (11) and in that the overlapping prefabricated parts (11) are connected as a connecting structure by means of an annular connecting element (13). Tank structure according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the annular connecting element (13) is a cast-in-place concrete ring. Container structure according to Claim 3, characterized in that the concrete ring is anchored at a point in the rock and is thermally insulated from the rock in other respects.