The purpose of this study was to conduct a vibration analysis in a steel gas oil storage tower using the Finite Element Method. A modal and a harmonic analysis were conducted to determine the effect of the loads applied on the tower originating from a pipe line (the loads’ frequency was about 3.1 Hz). The modal analyses determined that the frequency of the first mode of the tower was about 3.1 Hz, meaning the harmonic load, on matching its own frequencies, resulted in an amplification of the displacements due to the resonance phenomenon.

The following solutions were proposed once the effect of the load was determined and the results were checked against the data measured in the tower: installation of stiffeners (STRUTS) that changed the frequency of the first mode of the tower, moving it away from the frequency of the loads. As the resonance phenomenon was avoided, the displacements that were induced by the vibrations of the tower were reduced.