Experiments on a square planform steel silo

Rectangular planform silos have not been studied as often as their circular counterparts, and relatively little detailed information exists in the literature on pressure patterns which develop on their walls. This study used a pilot-scale square planform funnel flow unstiffened steel silo with relatively flexible walls to investigate the patterns of pressures on filling, during storage and during discharge. Two different free-flowing solids, sand and pea gravel, were used. The silo was instrumented with wall pressure cells, free field cells, strain gauges and displacement devices. From the extensive collected data, some examples of measured pressures during filling and discharge are presented, together with an introduction to the effects of eccentric discharge. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.