This paper presents a semi-analytical, elastic analysis model for a uniformly-loaded circular tank foundation resting on soil. The soil is assumed to behave as a linear-elastic material in a semi-infinite half space, and the foundation is modeled as a thin circular plate. The governing differential equations are derived based on variational principles and solved semi-analytically. Model validation was achieved by comparing results from the present analyses with those from finite element analysis. A parametric study highlights important insights for the effects of plate diameter, plate thickness, and stiffness ratio of plate to soil on differential settlement of the tank foundation.
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