Concrete silos have four different flow patterns depending on the construction, cone angles, and stored material. These flow patterns dictate how stored material moves through your silo.

 

 

 

 

 

Once a silo begins to lose flow, this accelerates the buildup over time and can lead to additional blockages. While these are the standard flow patterns for concrete silos, the unique shape of concrete domes creates a non-standard flow pater that can increase the likelihood of material buildup. The shape also makes removing said buildup from dome walls and fluidizing equipment more difficult. In both concrete domes and concrete silos, however, once material flow begins to slow, material buildup accelerates and can lead to additional blockages.

 

Proper material flow in silos is important for more than just production schedules. Issues with material flow can cause increased stress on silo walls that may go beyond what the silo was designed to withstand, causing cracking, spalling, wall separation, or structural failure.

 

Proper cleaning and care will increase your silo's useable lifespan and minimize big-ticket repair and cleaning costs. It can also allow you to recover stagnant material that has built up inside the silo.

 

Find out more about the different types of concrete silo flow patterns or schedule your next silo inspection.

 

Silo construction has been an integral part of Marietta Silos services since 1916. Stave silos are among the types of silo construction methods that are used to create a silo that is suited for your current material handling needs. Other silo construction methods include jumpform and slipform silos.

 

Marietta Silos developed the technology for stave silo construction back in 1920 and is the only company today that produces stave silos at a thickness of 5 ¾" which creates added durability. Reinforcements like galvanized hoops are often used to help compress the silo walls and introduce tension for increased stability.

 

Stave silos utilize an interlocking technology using precast concrete blocks which enables the stave silo to manage your silo needs for years to come. Internal joints of stave silo interior and exterior walls need to be sealed using cementitious coatings which creates a smooth outward appearance when the stave silo is completed. Multiple discharge types may be used when constructing a stave silo including flat floor, cone, tunnel discharge, and side discharge.

 

If you're thinking about starting your own silo construction project, contact the experts at Marietta Silos. Marietta Silos brings over a century of silo construction and design experience to walk you through the steps of deciding what silo type and sizes will work best for your particular application.

 

Links:

Watch our Silo Construction Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFRzM86qDyA&t=73s      

 

Start Your Silo Construction Project:
https://www.mariettasilos.com/silo-construction#stave-silos

Following the rise of concrete in the early 1900s, silo construction methods began to expand rapidly from silo cellars to concrete stave silo construction. This silo construction method was followed closely by the development of slipform concrete silo construction. This concrete construction method enabled the creation of a continuous structure that was free from joints and seams.

 

Today, slipform concrete silos are constructed much like they were when the method first appeared. First, a custom-built form system for both the silo interior and exterior is constructed. This includes an interior work deck as well as interior/exterior finishing scaffolding. The form is supported by jack rods that are attached to hydraulic jacks. As the concrete is poured for the silo walls, the form is raised at approximately one foot per hour until the structure is finished.

 

Construction of slipform silos requires an around-the-clock construction schedule as the silo must be finished before construction is halted. The finished product has a smooth outer finish, thanks to the continuous pouring of the concrete silo walls. Slipform construction is usually the method of choice for concrete silos that are more than 65' in diameter, or several concrete silos need to be constructed at once.