How To Design A Safe Metal Silo

Metal steel storage silos are a common type of material storage equipment. Known for their corrosion resistance, high compressive strength, and short construction period, feed metal silos have gradually become the preferred storage equipment in many industries such as construction, agriculture, and chemical engineering.

 

Types of Metal Storage Silos Bins

Steel silos system typically consist of a silo body, inlets and outlets pipes, supports, and pressure relief valves, dust collectors, with materials often being carbon steel, stainless steel or aluminum alloys and other materials. Depending on the application and requirements, metal steel feeding silo tanks can be categorized into various types, such as pressed steel plate silos, rolled steel plate silos, and corrugated steel plate silos.

 

When designing a metal powder silo, multiple factors must be considered to ensure the safety and durability of the bulk silos during use.

 

Wind Coefficient: As metal cement silos are usually installed in open areas, they must withstand strong winds to prevent collapse and ensure safety. The design of the concrete silo should take into account the following wind load coefficients: for the stability calculation of the industrial silo wall, the wind load coefficient is 1.0; for the overall calculation of the steel silo, the wind load coefficient for a standalone steel silo is 0.8; for a group of metal mixing storage silos (more than 3), the wind load coefficient is 1.3.

 

Material Selection: The materials for steel silo bins should preferably be Q235 steel equivalent to Grade 250 (AUS), A283 (USA); Q345 steel equivalent to Grade 350 (AUS), A210 (USA); Q390 and Q420 steels, whose quality should comply with the current national standards and should have qualified guarantees for tensile strength, elongation, yield strength, and sulfur and phosphorus content.

 

Seismic Design: Big hopper silos erected in earthquake-prone areas should consider seismic design. The legs of the hopper silo should be reinforced for seismic resistance, and the seismic grade of its supporting structure should be determined according to the relevant provisions of the current national standard "Code for Seismic Design of Buildings" GB 50011, with the design standards exceeding the national standards.

 

Storage Load: Depending on the type of storage material, its physical property parameters (such as bulk density, internal friction angle, and the coefficient of friction between the material and the silo tank wall, etc.) greatly affect the calculation of the load on the stored material. The design of steel silos should consider the differences in each type of material and increase the load considerations accordingly.

 

Eccentric Discharge: An improperly designed discharge system or improper discharge operation can lead to eccentric discharge in steel plate silos, increasing the bending moment on the pellet silo.

 

In summary, these factors collectively ensure the safety and stability of metal tower silos under various working conditions. During the design process of the silo project, these factors need to be considered and corresponding design plans should be formulated. Additionally, other factors (such as temperature effects, structural layout, settlement observation, fire resistance level, explosion-proof and anti-static facilities) also have a certain impact on the design of the silo system.

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