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Functional Engineering Services for Silos
Posted by Dennis Blauser, June 18, 2024
Silos are a crucial component of many industries, offering a means of efficient and dependable storage for bulk materials. Yet silos and bins fail at a higher rate than almost any other form of industrial equipment. To help ensure your silo can withstand the daily stresses from stored materials and loading/unloading, it is essential to make sure it is expertly engineered.
 

Standard Silo Designs vs Custom Silo Engineering

While some silo contractors rely on standard silo designs, this option takes a 'one size fits all' approach that fails to consider numerous essential aspects, including material characteristics, the seismic probability of your location, necessary silo capacity, and flow properties of your bulk materials.
 
Custom silo engineering provides a tailored solution that utilizes the safest and most suitable design components for your unique industry and specific material storage requirements. Taking these aspects into consideration from the start helps ensure optimal performance and safety of your silo.
 

Silos Engineered By Industry

When designing concrete silos, Marietta Silos follows the silo design codes outlined in the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 313-16: Design for Concrete Silos and Stacking Tubes for Storing Granular Materials. As a member of the ACI Committee, we stay on the cutting edge of the latest industry standards and updates.
 
Our team offers specialized silo engineering services tailored to specific industries, including aggregates, manufacturing, cement, coal, power, and more. We understand the unique requirements of each industry and how the proper silo design can optimize operations and increase efficiency. We also often work with an experienced silo engineer to help ensure the structures are designed to withstand external forces and the static pressures exerted by the type of stored material at rest and during flow.
 

Material Flow and Other Silo Design Considerations

During silo engineering, Marietta Silos considers the material flow characteristics of the bulk storage material as well as the static pressures, silo size, and more. Materials such as aggregates, by-products, cement, coal, fly ash, grain, and lime all flow at different rates and via different flow patterns through a silo. Understanding how a stored material flows through a silo determines whether the silo should be designed with a flat bottom, funnel flow, mass flow, or expanded flow.
 
In addition to considering static pressures of the intended bulk storage material, silo engineers also determine reinforcement arrangements necessary for the silo size and silo construction type, Jumpform, Slipform, or Stave. Loading and unloading needs are also important considerations, as the most critical portions of this design involve the lower part of the silo. This is where large loads from the stored material are channeled. An efficient flow pattern allows for the effective unloading of the silo.
 

Additional Silo Services

Marietta Silos' knowledge and experience mean that our designs will be the best possible designs to fit your needs. Our engineering practices conform with the method that our construction crews utilize for our Jumpform and Slipform systems, so it's important to use Marietta Silos for your silo engineering as well as the silo construction.
 
Marietta Silos is dedicated to supporting the essential role that silos play in various industries. Our team of professionals stands ready to assist with a comprehensive range of silo-related needs, from the initial phases of design and construction to the ongoing maintenance and repair required for optimal operational performance.
 
We offer full spectrum silo services, from the fabrication and erection of new silos to the modification of existing structures.
 
Reach out today to explore our comprehensive silo services and discover how we can assist in fulfilling your requirements.