Structural assessment of a reinforced concrete water tower

Abstract

The paper presents a structural appraisal of a reinforced concrete water tower at the Public Abattoir in Malta. The water tower was constructed in the first half of the 20th century and consists in a reinforced concrete thin shell structure supported on twelve columns. Detailed drawings and a refined 3D model were prepared based on detailed site measurements of the structure. The concrete was assessed through non-destructive tests and with reference to extracted concrete core samples from different parts of the structure and extracted steel reinforcement samples. Detailed deterioration mapping was conducted for the entire structure. This data was used to model the structure and analyse it through finite element models intended to determine the structural performance of the water tower.