Study of Buckling in Steel Silos under Eccentric Discharge Flows of Stored Solids
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 136, Issue 6
Abstract
The most serious loading condition for slender thin-walled metal silos has long been recognized to be the condition of discharge, with eccentric discharge causing more catastrophic failures than any other. Two key reasons for this high failure rate are the difficulties in characterizing the pressure distribution caused by eccentric solids flow, and in understanding the associated unsymmetrical stresses in the silo wall. Few studies have addressed either the linear elastic behavior of such a silo or its buckling failure under eccentric discharge. In this study, the eccentric discharge pressures are characterized using the new rules of the European Standard EN 1991-4 on Silos and Tanks. This novel description of unsymmetrical pressures permits a study of the structural behavior leading to buckling during eccentric discharge, including the critical effects of change of geometry and imperfection sensitivity, to be undertaken using geometrically and materially nonlinear computational analyses. The mechanics of the behavior are found to be quite complicated. A silo which is safe under axisymmetric loading is found to be susceptible to catastrophic stability failure under eccentric discharge.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
ABAQUS. (2006). “ABAQUS Version 6.6 standard user’s guide and theoretical manual.” ABAQUS Ltd., Genesis Centre, Warrington, U.K.
AS 3774. (1996). “Loads on bulk solids containers.” Australia.
Calladine, C. R. (1983). Theory of shell structures, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
DIN 1055-6. (1987). “Design loads for buildings: Loads in silo bins.” Deutsches Institut für Normung, Berlin, Germany.
Ding, X. L., Coleman, R. D., and Rotter, J. M. (1996). “Technique for precise measurement of large-scale silos and tanks.” J. Surv. Eng., 122(1), 14–25.
Drescher, A. (1991). Analytical methods in bin-load analysis, Elsevier Science, New York.
EN 1991-4. (2007). “Eurocode 1: Actions on Structures, Part 4: Silos and tanks.” European Committee for Normalisation, Brussels.
EN 1993-1-6. (2007). “Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures, part 1–6: Strength and stability of shell structures.” European Committee for Normalisation, Brussels.
Gillie, M., and Rotter, J. M. (2002). “The effects of patch loads on thin-walled steel silos.” Thin-Walled Struct., 40, 835–852.
ISO 11697. (1995). “Basis for design of structures–loads due to bulk materials.” International Standards Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland.
Jenike A. W. (1967). “Denting of circular bins with eccentric drawpoints.” J. Struct. Div., 93(ST1), 27–35.
Jenike A. W., Johanson J. R., and Carson J. W. (1973). “Bin loads-parts 2, 3 and 4: Concepts, mass flow bins, funnel flow bins.” ASME J. Eng. Ind., 95(1), 1–5.
Nedderman, R. M. (1992). Statics and kinematics of granular materials, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
Nielsen, J. (1998). “Pressures from flowing granular solids in silos.” Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 356(1747), 2667–2684.
Ooi, J. Y., Pham, L., and Rotter, J. M. (1990). “Systematic and random features of measured pressures on full-scale silos.” Eng. Struct., 12(2), 74–87.
Ooi, J. Y., Rotter, J. M., and Zhong, Z. (2005). “A statistical evaluation of filling and discharging pressures on silo walls.” Proc., 7th World Congress on Chemical Engineering, Institution of Chemical Engineers, London.
Riks, E. (1979). “An incremental approach to the solution of snapping and buckling problems.” Int. J. Solids Struct., 15, 529–551.
Roberts, A. W., and Ooms, M. (1983). “Wall loads in large metal and concrete silos and silos due to eccentric draw-down and other factors.” Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Design of Silos for Strength and Flow, Powder Advisory Centre, London.
Rotter, J. M. (1986). “The analysis of steel bins subject to eccentric discharge.” Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Bulk Materials Storage, Handling and Transportation, The Institution of Engineers, National Conference Publication No. 86/6, Canberra, Australia, 264–271.
Rotter, J. M. (1987). “Bending theory of shells for bins and silos.” Trans. of Mech. Eng., ME12(3), 147–159.
Rotter, J. M. (1990). “Local inelastic collapse of pressurised thin cylindrical steel shells under axial compression.” J. Struct. Eng., 116(7), 1955–1970.
Rotter, J. M. (1997). “Design standards and calculations for imperfect pressurised axially compressed cylinders.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Carrying Capacity of Steel Shell Structures, European Convention for Constructional Steelwork, Brussels, Belgium, 354–360.
Rotter, J. M. (2001a). Guide for the economic design of circular metal silos, Spon Press, New York.
Rotter, J. M. (2001b). “Pressures, stresses and buckling in metal silos containing eccentrically discharging solids.” Festschrift Richard Greiner, celebration volume for the 60th birthday of Prof. Richard Greiner, Institute for Steel and Shell Structures, Technical Univ. of Graz, Austria, 85–104.
Rotter, J. M. (2004). “Buckling of cylindrical shells under axial compression.” Buckling of thin metal shells, J. G. Teng and J. M. Rotter, eds., Spon, London, 42–87.
Rotter, J. M. (2006). “Elephant’s foot buckling in pressurised cylindrical shells.” Stahlbau, 75(9), 742–747.
Rotter, J. M. (2007). “Silo and hopper design for strength.” Bulk solids handling equipment selection and operation, E. D. McGlinchey, ed., Wiley-Blackwell, London.
Rotter, J. M., and Teng, J. G. (1989). “Elastic stability of cylindrical shells with weld depressions.” J. Struct. Eng., 115(5), 1244–1263.
Song, C. Y. (2004). “Effects of patch loads on structural behaviour of circular flat-bottomed steel silos.” Thin-Walled Struct., 42, 1519–1542.
Song, C. Y., and Teng, J. G. (2003). “Buckling of steel silos subject to code-specified eccentric discharge pressures.” Eng. Struct., 25, 1397–1417.
Song, C. Y., Teng, J. G., and Rotter, J. M. (2004). “Imperfection sensitivity of thin elastic cylindrical shells subject to partial axial compression.” Int. J. Solids Struct., 41, 7155–7180.
Teng, J. G., Lin, X., and Rotter, J. M. (2005). “Analysis of geometric imperfections in full-scale welded steel silos.” Eng. Struct., 27(6), 938–950.
Teng, J. G., and Rotter, J. M. (1992). “Buckling of pressurized axisymmetrically imperfect cylinders under axial loads.” J. Eng. Mech., 118(2), 229–247.
Wood, J. G. M. (1983). “The analysis of silo structures subject to eccentric discharge.” Proc,. 2nd Int. Conf. on Design of Silos for Strength and Flow, Powder Advisory Centre, London, 132–144.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 136 • Issue 6 • June 2010
Pages: 769 - 776
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 29, 2009
Accepted: Nov 3, 2009
Published online: Nov 5, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2010
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.