Interesting. I just figured tanks were something you had to buy, but it looks like Gary has pulled it off.
I would caution that wood, ceramics, and other materials with brittle failure modes don't always behave the way the FEA models suggest. Minor cracks and porosities that would have little effect on a ductile material will make the strength of brittle materials more unpredictable. Stress concentrations, such as at fasteners, will be significant.
I wonder... could you use steel hoops (or fiberglass) for their tensile strength, to allow you to reduce the amount of plywood required?
My intuition tells me a square tank would be better than rectangular, in terms of both cost and heat retention.
Btw, what software are you using?
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