Strengthening of natural draught cooling tower shells with stiffening rings

摘要

Repairs have recently been undertaken to a number of natural draught cooling tower shells, both in South Africa and in the United Kingdom. Two methods of repair have been adopted. The repairs to the cooling tower shells in the United Kingdom have taken the form of an additional mantle, cast on the outside surface of the shell. In South Africa, repairs have taken an alternative form, employing stiffening rings. This paper discusses the merits of the stiffening ring approach and presents the results of finite element analyses applied to the stiffened and unstiffened structures.