A Hanging Steel Silo

Steel silo is one of the main gram storage containers. Its disadvantages are: (1) steel strength used only about one third because of the buckling of it; (2) the pressure applied to the silo wall by the stored material will be doubled at time of unloading according to the silo code. So, more steel and fund are needed for construction.

The steel silo technology has been used for storing granular materials in China since the beginning of 80's, and it attracted many scholars to concentrate their attention in studying on this technology. It is well known that the steel silo belongs to thin-shell structure, and when the friction of the storage material to silo wall apexes axial compression, it is easy to buckle. The structure design of steel silo is controlled by buckling stead of by strength conditions and its buckling critical compressive stress is very smaller than its strength. On the other hand, axial tension is not to cause buckling, so that the structural design of storage silo is determined by its strength conditions instead of by its buckling conditions.

All types of steel silo used now can be styled the placing steel silo that is located at the supporting bed or the silo foundation. The function of the stored material makes it to be compressed in axial direction. The disadvantages of the placing steel silo are: (1) steel strength used only about one third because of the buckling of it; (2) the pressure applied to the silo wall by the storage material increases one times when unloading according to the silo code. With unloading of the storage material, the dynamic pressure on the silo wall exerted by the storage material changes very much which may result m the buckling of the steel silo. So, more steel and capitals are needed for construction to guarantee the safety of placing grain silo. In order to overcome the two disadvantages above mentioned of placing steel silo, the Hanging Steel Silo was designed.