Simplified method for seismic analysis of industrial chimneys

This paper describes a simplified method for seismic analysis and design of industrial chimneys that allows an accurate estimation of the fundamental period of vibration, lateral displacements, shear forces, and bending moments through a set of equations, with errors obtained below 10% for all cases studied. During the initial stage of the analys is, it was verified that the criterion of consistent mass yields better results than the criterion of lumped mass, and that a finite element model with 20 beam sectors is satisfactory. The acceleration spectrums recommended by the new code of seismic design for structures and industrial installations in Chile have been considered to define the earthquake loading. Modal responses were combined using the complete quadratic combination rule. In all of the c ases studied in this investigation, the influence of the P-Δ effect of the soil-structure interaction and the influence on the response of the lining have been disregarded.