Which is stronger - eurobracing or cross-center bracing?

[Chin_Lee]

On a tank that is 9 feet long x 27" high x 31" deep, there should be some sort of bracing right? But which type of bracing is stronger? Eurobracing the entire length of the tank or two 12" cross braces at the 1/3 and 2/3 mark of the tank.
I prefer eurobracing but I don't know if the glass for eurobracing will be strong enough to stop the glass deflection bowing on a 9 feet tank. Anybody with experience on this?

[dabandit]

I could be wrong but doesnt eurobracing on a tank that size usually have 2 centerbraces,again I could be wrong I only dream of tanks that size lol

[Chin_Lee]

I dunno....... what is normal for a tank that size?

[dabandit]

lol I did a job for a guy with a 15foot long tank it had eurobracing that had centerbraces,so what im trying to say is I think you use both but what do I know lol

[Trigger Man]

From what i've seen at a tank around that length they have had both the Euro brace and the centerbraces.

[Chin_Lee]

do you guys recall how eurobracing and cross braces were put on?
were the eurobracing on the inside and the cross braces on top of the eurobracing and tank?

[sphelps]

I remember doing this for someone else once, it's for a 7 foot tank but the results would be the same for a 9 foot. It should give you an idea anyway.

So a quick note, all these plots show displacement. The main purpose of the bracing is to minimize deflection to not only stop the glass from breaking but minimize distortion. So obviously the lower the max displacement the better the brace.

Tank with no bracing for reference:

Max Displacement = 2.2mm

Tank with single large center brace and small euro bracing (standard design)

Max Displacement = 0.26mm

Tank with Euro Style Bracing (4")

Max Displacement = 0.36mm

Tank with Euro Style Bracing and two smaller center braces (4")

Max Displacement = 0.26mm

It's clear that the large center brace works effectively and that's why it's common practice for large standard tanks like the 230. A 4" euro brace works well but not quite as good, adding two additional center braces matches the large center brace and gives you better access and better opportunity for lighting. A larger Euro brace (5") will also likely match the large center brace but in the end the exact style and layout of your bracing will depend on your tank size, lighting and access requirements.

All in all you can't really say one is stronger than the other, both designs have the potential of being equally strong it just depends on the size. Also for a longer tank the results would be similar since you would use thicker glass.

HTH