Our sponsor, Burt Process Equipment (BPE), tasked our team with qualifying their thermoplastic welding processes according to the DVS standard. This involved performing tensile and bend tests on different weld types fabricated by BPE and comparing the results to the expected values outlined in the standard. Once the welds were tested and qualified, the BPE team fabricated a polypropylene storage tank. This tank was then filled with water to measure the displacement of its walls, and the results were compared to an FEA simulation conducted using Ansys and Autodesk Inventor. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate how stress was distributed in the tank with and without steel girths installed. By aligning the FEA model with the actual tank’s measured displacements, we simulated various girth configurations—adjusting their size and placement—to assess their effect on stress distribution throughout the tank walls and welds. Ultimately, our goal was to optimize steel girth configurations to enhance the tank’s structural integrity under hydrostatic loading conditions. Based on our findings, we provided recommendations for the most effective girth placements and sizes to improve the overall performance and longevity of BPE’s plastic liquid storage tanks while minimizing material usage to enhance cost efficiency and sustainability.

Our team collaborated with Materials Science & Engineering 2 on this project.