Effect of foundation flexibility on the across-wind response of reinforced concrete chimneys with free-standing liners

Chimneys with free-standing liners are often analyzed as fixed base cantilever beams, ignoring the effect of soil-structure interaction on their response. However, soil-structure interaction influences the dynamic response of chimneys in two ways: it alters the natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes, and it results in coupling of the response of the liner and the shell. In this analysis, the stack was modelled as a continuous cantilever beam with distributed stiffness and mass supported by a flexible foundation. It was found that the relative shell-liner deflection for the flexible foundation case was approximately 35% higher than that for the fixed base case. This increase in deflection may exceed design tolerances for a chimney cap and may lead to liner and (or) shell damage if combined with other adverse conditions such as aerodynamic interference effects with other chimneys. The base forces in the shell decrease significantly due to the foundation flexibility, with values as low as 50% of those of the fixed case. The base forces in the liner were approximately 35% of shell base forces for the fixed base case. These forces are not accounted for in the design of liners using the fixed base assumption. It was concluded that the effects of the foundation flexibility are significant and must be included in the analysis of chimneys with free-standing liners. This is especially true for chimneys in regions with low seismic activity, since the design of the liner would be based on minimal lateral forces.