Numerical simulation of glass fiber reinforced polymer chimney under seismic loads

Due to their high corrosion and chemical resistance, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) materials are increasingly being used in the construction of industrial chimneys. In this paper, the finite element model of a 60 m high GFRP chimney with the diameter of 3 m is established using finite element software ANSYS. The cylindric chimney, steel supporting frames and the two anchor cables are meshed using laminated composite shell element, beam element and link element, respectively. Since the seismic loads are major factors for the design of the chimney, so this study involves numerical simulation of the strength of the GFRP chimney suffering from the seismic loads in accordance with the response spectrum theory. The results show that the first-order natural frequency of the GFRP chimney is 3.62 Hz. The maximum axial stress of vertical segment of the GFRP chimney is 32.8 MPa which is less than 120 MPa that is the design strength of GFRP, indicating that the chimney is safe.