A Review of Numerical Prediction Methods for Silo Wall Pressures

Abstract

Silo failures are relatively common in many countries and represent a source of significant economic loss. A better understanding of the properties of the stored materials and of their interaction with the structure is important for improved design. Numerical methods show great promise in the study of this interaction and considerable advances have been made in recent years. This paper presents a survey of the numerical methods used and summarises some recent studies of the pressure distributions in silos. Comparisons with existing theories are also made. Some implications for the structural design of silos of recent research on silo pressures are outlined.