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Seismic Design Service
Earthquakes and other large-scale disasters are a design priority for citizens, state, and local officials—and Preload engineers and designers. Preload has been involved with seismic design for the past 65 years. In fact, it was the first builder of concrete liquid storage tanks to introduce state-of-the-art seismic base cables, specifically designed to improve the performance of such structures under extreme conditions.
Seismic base cables allow a sliding-base concrete tank to resist earthquake-induced base shears. Expert tests early on confirmed the great ductility and energy absorption capabilities of base cables, and as a result this detail was universally adopted as the prime mechanism for the seismic resistance of sliding-base tanks—eventually incorporated in applicable AWWA standards and ACI codes.
We’re proud to say that the use of base cables by all AWWA D110 tank manufacturers today is actually a continuation of Preload’s pioneering innovation. While specific cable layout details may differ from one manufacturer to another, the basic concept remains the same; namely, it allows a sliding-base concrete tank to safely resist earthquake-induced base shears and over turning, while fully maintaining the tank’s serviceability. Today, every AWWA D110 tank that withstands large earthquake forces is, in large part, an affirmation of the effectiveness of Preload’s groundbreaking design— for those frightening times when the ground beneath us decides to shake.