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Supporting
your silo
Gerry Lynskey, SSI Consulting
,
discusses the common issues
with silos and how to prevent or aid them.
Introduction
Storage silos, bins, and tanks are common in
cement plants. They are used in all stages of cement
production, including raw material,
blending/homogenising, kiln feed, clinker, and
finished cement. Most people who walk onto a
cement facility never give a second thought to these
structures: they appear to be monoliths with infinite
stiffness, strength, and resilience. This article is meant
to help open the eyes of the cement industry to the
many facets and nuances of silo design, analysis,
construction, behaviour, and inspection, with a goal of
arming individuals with knowledge of some common
issues and warning signs silos usually provide.
While the layout and arrangement of a silo varies
depending on many factors, such as material stored,
location of facility, engineer, contractor, and owner
preference. Most silos have walls, an elevated floor
or hopper at the bottom of the storage area, and
a roof over the storage area. Most also have some
sort of an elevated equipment platform below the
hopper/elevated floor so personnel can access the
discharge point and associated equipment, piping,
etc. But there are a number of variations: some silos
are built on columns, some hoppers are connected
directly to silo walls, and others are supported by
ring girders. There are single silos and groups of
silos, even the odd square silo. Some interstices are