Jour~l of Ferrocement: Vol. 23, No. 1.

January 1993 25

Analysis, Design and Construction of Ferrocement

Water Tanks in Cuba

Martirena Hernandez, J.F.*

Thispaperpresents the results of afour-year research project to develop a low-costferrocement

tank for water storage. The hyperboloid of revolution was applied to improve the structural behavior
of the walls, The tank is capable of storing up to 1000 m3 of water. Details are given about the
structural analysis and design of the tank. Several examples of the applications of this ferrocement
tank in Cuba arepresented, including a 2 m’precastferrocement tankdesignedfor housing projects,
and a 500 m’ tank built from 30 ferrocement precast elements.

INTRODUCTION

The construction of tanks for storage of liquids is a practice appropriate for any developing
country. Forcountries like Cuba, which are characterized by an island setting and shortage of highway
infrastructure, tanks become essential. The Cuban Government has completed a program for the con-
struction of tanks to store different types of liquids such as water, chemicals, oil, industrial wastes, etc.
Laminated steel, reinforced concrete, asbestos, natural bricks are some of the building materials used
in the project.
Since 1980, ferrocement has increasingly become a much more competent material compared
with the traditional materials usually employed in Cuba. Various researches and applications have
been carried out by a group headed by Prof. Hugo Wainstok Rivas. Remarkable results were achieved
by them in the construction of ships, swimming pools, houses and others.
This paper presents the results of a four-year survey designed to develop a national low-cost
solution for storing water by means of ferrocement tanks. The solution conceived was of a versatile
design that is applicable for both small capacity tanks (up to 2 m’) and medium capacity tanks (up to
1000 m3) while retaining the same features.
To improve the structural behavior of the tank, the shape of a hyperboloid of revolution was
adopted for the walls because of the proven structural performance of such a shell. As a result, a surface
with double curvature was obtained through the rotation of the hyperbola around a Z axis. The
mathematical equation of the surface being:

r-2 2
- - - 1 = . . . . . . . . . . (1)
$0 C2

where:
ro = radius of the bottom ring
c = focus of the main hyperbola
z,r = variables

l Faculty of Constructions, Central University of Las Vihs. Santa Clara, Villaclara. Cuba
26 Journal of Ferrocement: Vol. 23, No. I, January 1993

The surface is also shaped by two systems of straight-line generators; the rows being asymptotic
to the surface. The existence of such generators contributes to the construction of the formwork and
to the placing of the mortar.
The paper describes each of the different aspects of the work performed, such as the structural
analysis and design, the development of the proper technology for the construction of the tank, and the
application of the solution to different building programs in Cuba.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Ferrocement structures often involve elements of minimal thickness; hence, accurate structural
methods of analysis are required to increase the safety of the design. For double curvature thin shells,
the membrane behavior approach is generally accepted. In this work, the analysis was achieved using
the Unified Approach to the Membrane Theory of Shells, developed by Hemandez [1,2] which
simplifies the constitutive equations by projecting the main surface into another surface of simpler
geometry. The critical stress state occurs when the interior hydrostatic pressure is considered.
Only bending stresses at the lower and upperedgesareconsidered. The shell, hinged at the bottom
and upper edges, is constrained by a flexible ring. These restraints cause the existence of disturbances
limited only at both ends; the edge-effect does not reach the inner regions of the shell. The local bending
moments are computed using the procedure presented by Hemandez [2].
To determine the accuracy of the Membrane Theory Edge-Effect Approach, the Soviet program
MEKRIS II is used as a comparison parameter [3]. The program solves the static and dynamic
problems in shell structures of a very complex shape. The mathematical procedure, known as the
Curvilinear Grid Method [3], is concerned with the effect of edge structures such as ribs and others.
Moreover, it includes the analysis of different types of discontinuities and the accompanying loss of
stability.
To evaluate the different approaches, a structure 14 m in diameter and 4.80 m in total height was
studied using both the Membrane Theory and the MEKRIS II program. Figs. 1 to 4 show the basic
results attained.
Figs. 1 and 2 display a comparison between the stresses computed by the membrane approach and
by the computer program MEKRIS II. The similarity in shape of the stress curves of the shell are
evident with maximum difference valuesbelow 20%, an acceptable value for design purposes. Fig.
3 shows the bending moment Ml acting along the vertical direction. It is observed that the highest
moments take place at both ends of the shell. The values of Ml at the inner region of the shell is
negligible compared to the values occurring at regions close to the edges.Fig. 4 shows the displace-
ments normal to the surface computed using the MEKRIS II program. From these results, it can be
said that the Membrane Theory is accurate enough to carry out a structural analysis for most practical
purposes.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

In all cases the design was made according to the characteristics of each specific tank (e.g., size,
type of reinforcement, technology for construction and others). The work was then divided into two
parts:

(a) Design of small capacity tanks (up to 200 m3)

(b) Design of Medium capacity tanks (up to 1000 m3).
JOWM~ of Ferrocement: Vol. 23, No. I, January 1993 27

N2x IO*kN/m

3 2 I 1 2 3 4 5 6

0.64h
. - bendind theory
- - mem brana theory o’72 h
0.80h 1

Fig. 1. Vertical stress.

N, x IO3 kN/m
I

0.00 h

0.16 h

0.24h

0.32 h

0.40h

0.48 h

0.56 h

” 0.64h
.- bendind theory 0,72h
- - membrana theory
0.80 h

0.88h

Fig. 2. Hoxizontd stress.

28 JOWML o f Ferrocemenr V o l . 2 3 , N o . I, J a n u a r y 1 9 9 3

hi, x IO3 kh(

0 . 4 0 . 3 0 . 2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

0.32h

0.40h
ii

Fig. 3. Vertical bending moment.

S(mm)
1.00 0 . 7 5 0 . 5 0 . 2 5 0 . 2 5 0 . 5 0 . 7 5 1.00 1.25

0.16 h

0.24h I’

0.32h 1’

0.40h 1

0.48h 11

0.56h

0.64h

0.72 h

0.80h

0.88 h

h V
Fig. 4. Normal displacements.
JOWMI of Ferrocemeru: Vol 23, No. 1, January 1993 29

Design of Small Capacity Tanks

Tanks of this type was designed to store a volume of liquid appropriate for individual houses.
The reinforcement of small tanks consisted of small diameter rods(fi =300 MPa) forming the
skeletal reinforcement, and two layers of hexagonal mesh u, =240 MPa) with 1.5 mm diameter
galvanized wires. The mortar cement/sand proportion was 1:2 to obtain& =30 MPa at the age of
28 days.
The thickness of the wall ranged from 20 mm to 25 mm. A design was made for the strength-
limit stage [4] in the cracked range, with crack width limited to 0.1 mm. The specific surface was
in most cases very low(OScm*/cm’< K < 0.7 cm2/cm3); however, the design conditions were
successfully fulfilled

Design of Medium Capacity Tanks

The objective was to design a bigger tank with walls resting on the ground. The solution was
conceived as a convenient substitute for the traditional reinforced concrete tank. In this case, two
types of mesh were used: the hexagonal mesh with galvanized wires 1.5 mm diameter(fs = 240
MPa), and a woven mesh with coarse wire(diameter 3 mm,L = 240 MPa). This was decided on
the basis of reducing the consumption of imported hexagonal mesh which is more expensive. The
mortar was proportioned in such a way to obtainf,=30 MPa at the age of 28 days. To avoid the
appearanceof shrinkagecracks, somecoarseaggregate with amaximum sizeof 10 mm wasadded.
Circumferential skeletal steel was spaced closer than the vertical steel since the horizontal
stresses are of a bigger value compared to vertical stresses. Additional reinforcement was provided
at the regions close to the edges to handle the flexural stresses. The diameter of the rods ranged from
6 mm to 8 mm v,=300 MPa).
The thickness of the wall ranged from 30 mm to 50 mm, depending on the size of the element.
The design was made for the strength-limit stage[4], with the crack width limited to 0.1 mm. The
specific surface was in all cases very low (0.3 cm2/cm3cK<0.5 cm2/cm3); however, the design
conditions were successfully fulfilled.

CONSTRUCTION

The construction methods varied widely, depending on the type of solution selected. The
methods for construction could either be for small capacity tanks or for medium capacity tanks.

Construction of Small Capacity Tank

The tank consists of double curvature walls and bottom slab, constructed continuously, and
a cover which is built separately. Skeletal steel gives the shape of the surface ( Fig. 9). Since the
curvature is low, it is not necessary to place the rods in oblique direction. Two layers of hexagonal
mesh were attached to both inner and outer sides of the armature. The mortar is plastered by hand
at the walls and bottom with two people working at the same time, inside and outside the tank. The
cover is cast in a formwork built for that purpose. Intensive curing takes place in a humid
environment during the next seven days after the day when the element is completed. Regular site
inspection must be done to check the structure for shrinkage cracks.
 Journal of Ferrocement Vol. 23, No. 1, January 1993
30

Plan

Standard cross section

Fig, 5. General dimension

Steel reinforcing
woven mesh (two layers)

Fig. 6. Element of cross-section.

Journal of Ferrocemenr: Vol. 23, No. I, Janunry I993 31

This type of tank(2 m3 in capacity) has been used to store water for several buildings in the
province of Villaclara with good results( Fig. 10). The first tank was built in 1989, and up to now no
damage has been reported.

Construction of Medium Capacity Tank

At present, the design and construction of a 500 m3 water tank is being carried out. The tank lies
on the ground and requires 30 double curvature precast elements for its structure. The general
dimension is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The foundation is a circular reinforced concrete ring while the
cover is a steel geodesic dome covered by flat fiber-reinforced mortar slabs ( Fig. 8). The elements
of the wall are cast in a concrete formwork ( Fig. 11) with demoulding done within the next 48 hours
after placing the mortar. The element must be moist-cured during the fist seven days of casting the
element, and care should be taken to prevent cracking. When the foundation is completed, theelements
arc erected and temporarily supported. The steel rods are then welded at the joint ( Fig. 7), and the
expansive high strength mortar is placed to seal the joint. Finally, a circular reinforced concrete ring
is built and attached to the upper edge to provide support for the covering structure. The ring helps
in increasing the stiffness of the whole structure.
The first tank was built in the province of Matanzas. The duration of the construction period was
approximately two months(walls and foundation including the formwork). It is advisable to prepare
several formwork elements to provide a faster delivery of precast elements; thus, reducing the time
of construction. The structure for the cover of the tank was built separately at another workshop. No
damage was reported during the different stages of production of theelements. After the first tank was
built, regular eye inspection was made by the author to detect cracks which cause leakages.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The solution for storage of liquids presented in this paper has demonstrated the improved
features characteristic of it as compared to the traditional methods of building liquid tanks.
Although it was initially conceived to store only water, the use may be extended to other
liquids.

---j +\sealing material

IO

Fig. 7. Vetical j o i n t .
32 Journal of Ferrocement: Vol. 23, No. I, January 1993

Fig. 8. Covered element. Fig. 9. Skeletal steel @ves the shape of the surface.

Fig. 10. Tank of 2 my capacity. Fig. 11. Elements of the wall cast in concrete
formwork.

2. For design purpose the Membrane Edge-Effect Theory approach may be used with good
results.

3. The use of underreinforced ferrocement structures was successful in this work. Steel mesh,
which is expensive under Cuban conditions, can be used minimally without affecting the
strength and durability of the structure.

4. The prefabrication of elements not only improves the quality of the structure but reduces its
construction period.
Journal of Ferrocemen~ Vol 23, No 1) Jamuny 1993 33

REFERENCES

1. Hemandez P. 1969. Unified Approach to the Membrane Theory of S hells. In Proceedings of the
IASS Madrid Colloquium.
2. Hemandez P. 1974. Estructuras laminares. Teoria y Aplicaciones, Ingenieria Civil No. 211974.
3. Gotzuliak E.A. 1988. Calculo por estabilidad de cascaras en forma compleja. Manual para el
Use de1 Programa REDBAZ. Kiev: Kiev Building Institute.
4. Soviet Standard. 1985. Normas y Reglas Constructivas. Estructurasde Ferrocemento. Moscow:
Soviet Standard.