Large Cooling Towers the Present Trend

The large cooling towers being built today are quite exceptional structures being, in proportion, considerably thinner than an egg shell but approaching 200m in height and lOOm in diameter. Practice has outstripped both theory and research and there are wide national differences in approach. The relevant design parameters are reviewed, namely, wind pressure, including wind induced vibrations, thermal gradient, self-weight and moments in the shell. Comparative calculations were carried out varying the value of one parameter at a time and considering the effect on concrete and steel stresses. The influence of the modulus of elasticity used in calculations of thermal effects is discussed and illustrated.

M. Diver and A.C. Paterson