Title: Practical Analysis of Cylindrical Farm Silos Based on Finite Element Solutions

Author(s): Alfred G. Bishara, Saad S. El-Azazy, and Tyau-Da Huang

Publication: Journal Proceedings

Volume: 78

Issue: 6

Appears on pages(s): 456-462

Keywords: capacity; farm buildings; finite element method; friction; granular materials; lateral pressure; loads (forces); pressure; regression analysis; silage; silos; structural analysis.

DOI: 10.14359/10923

Date: 11/1/1981

Abstract:
Recent developments in production, handling, and feeding of ensiled farm products have necessitated the construction of large farm silos, thus creating a dire need for a rational method for evaluating lateral and vertical pressures in farm silos as well as their capacities. A method which takes in to. account the complex nature of ensiled farm products, loading history, and boundary conditions has been developed by Bishara and others in two previous papers. In this method, the ensiled materials are characterized as nonlinear viscoelastic, the friction mechanism at the silo wall-fill material interface is realstically represented taking into consideration the slip-stick phenomenon, and a nonlinear finite element formulation is used to analyze the silo wall-fill material interaction. This paper presents simple expressions, based on this method of analysis, for evaluation of lateral and vertical pressures as well as capacities of top unloading, well-drained, circular farm silos storing corn sifage. The expressions were obtained using nonlinear regression analysis of a large number of finite element solutions appfied to corn sifage stored in silos whose in ternaf diameters varied from 16 ft (4.88 m) to 40 ft (12.19 m) and height varied from 40 ft (12.19 m) to 90 ft (27.43 m).