The effects of patch loads on thin-walled steel silos

This paper reports on the results of a detailed parametric study into the effects of patch loads on the stresses in thin-walled circular steel silos. Firstly, an analysis of the effects of a typical patch load on the stresses in a silo wall is presented. The results show that the stresses set up are complex and that they could potentially lead to failure of the silo by either elastic buckling or plastic collapse. A parametric study is then conducted which examines the effects of varying the circumferential width of the patch load, the vertical extent of the load, the point of application of the load and the pressure distribution within the load. The results show that the circumferential width of the applied load and the pressure distribution both strongly affect the form and magnitude of the stresses produced in the silo wall. The magnitudes of stresses in the silo wall were found to vary almost linearly with the vertical extent of the patch load.