KEVOS® MAKEOS · Strength
Tank Stand Leg Check (Full Tank Weight, Load per Leg, Leg Buckling)
For a vertical tank standing on tubular legs, what does it weigh full, how much does each leg carry, and are the legs safe against buckling?
Check of the legs of a vertical cylindrical tank stand: the full volume of the tank (as the tank volume tool), the full weight with the empty tank mass, the load on each leg, the area and least second moment of area of a tubular leg, then the slenderness, Euler or Johnson critical stress and buckling load and the safety factor (as the column buckling tool), against your required factor.
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How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Tank inside diameter | mm | Inside diameter of the tank. |
| Tank shell height (full level) | mm | Height of the cylindrical shell up to the full level. |
| Contents density | kg/m³ | Density of the contents. |
| Empty tank mass | kg | Mass of the empty tank, roof and fittings. |
| Number of legs | legs | Number of legs sharing the load. |
| Legs | ||
| Leg outside diameter | mm | Outside diameter of each tubular leg. |
| Leg wall thickness | mm | Wall thickness of each leg. |
| Unsupported leg length | mm | Length of leg between the base and the first brace or the tank. |
| Effective length factor | Effective length factor for the end fixity (1.2 to 2 for legs fixed at the base with little restraint at the top). | |
| Elastic modulus | GPa | Modulus of elasticity of the leg. |
| Yield strength | MPa | Yield strength of the leg. |
| Required safety factor | Safety factor against buckling you need. | |
Method and formulas
- Full volume = π D² H ÷ 4 (as the tank volume tool, vertical and full).
- Load per leg = (empty mass + volume × density) g ÷ legs.
- Leg A and I of the tube; slenderness K L ÷ r; Euler above C_c, Johnson below; buckling load = σ_cr A (as the column buckling tool).
- Example: 1,696.5 L full, 4,772.1 N per leg; legs buckle at 128,690 N (factor 26.967).
Limitations
- Concentric vertical load shared equally; wind, seismic and sloshing loads and an uneven base are not included.
- Leg buckling only; leg-to-tank welds and base plates need separate checks.
- Example values are illustrations. Replace them with values for your actual task.
Typical uses
- Check legs for a header or rainwater tank
- Size legs for a process tank
- See how longer legs reduce the safety factor
Who it is for
- Design engineers
- Fabricators
- Plant engineers
What you get
- Full volume and weight
- Load per leg
- Leg buckling load and safety factor
Interpreting the result
- Cross-bracing the legs halves their unsupported length and roughly quadruples their Euler buckling load.
References
- Machinery’s Handbook, 29th edition (Industrial Press, 2012), printed pp. 68–69, 281–287. Topic reference; no source tables or recommended settings are reproduced.
WORKOS tools are screening and decision-support utilities. Verify important financial, engineering, safety, legal or operational decisions using appropriate professional standards and your organisation’s approved data.
Open the Tank Stand Leg Check (Full Tank Weight, Load per Leg, Leg Buckling) calculator
