Optimal Design of Overhead Tank Supporting Structure

Abstract

The provision of water supply in most of the nations of the World is an obligation of the government but in some African countries especially Nigeria, the responsibility has shifted to the citizenry. Most of the structures used by some household to support their tanks to provide gravity flow of water have failed prematurely. In some cases, excessive materials have been used in the construction leading to high cost. This paper analyses and optimizes such supporting structures used by the most household. Patran/Nastran software was used for the analyses and optimization because of its efficiency. It was discovered that the final mass of water tanks (of capacity 2 cubic meters and 3 cubic meters) dropped from 1107.64Kg to 891.16Kg while that of 2 cubic meters and 5 cubic meters dropped from 1107.16Kg to 962.59Kg. The design is hereby recommended for domestic use as it will definitely reduce costs and eliminate waste of materials to the barest minimum.