| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/K32029/01 |
| Title: |
FULL SCALE SILO EXPERIMENTS ON SOLIDS FLOW,SILO WALL PRESSURES AND METAL HOPPER STRENGTH |
| Principal Investigator: |
Rotter, Professor JM |
| Other Investigators: |
|
| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
|
| Project Partners: |
|
| Department: |
Infrastructure and Envronmental Res Cen |
| Organisation: |
University of Edinburgh |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 May 1994 |
Ends: |
31 October 1997 |
Value (£): |
348,318
|
| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Civil Engineering Materials |
|
|
| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
|
| Related Grants: |
|
| Panel History: |
|
|
Summary on Grant Application Form |
|
The design of circular silos is based on loadings derived from tests. Most tests use small model silos, but major scale errors often occur, invalidating the results. Testing at full scale is difficult and expensive: cost constraints often lead to unsatisfactory or insufficient instrumentation producing unreliable or unusable observations. Wall pressures and solids flow patterns are strongly correlated, but scientific measurements of full scale funnel flow are unknown. Codified silo loads lack the sound statistical basis of other loads: statistical treatments of silo loads are still rate. Finally, no structural tests on silo hoppers are known, despite the many failures.This project addresses all these issues. A specially designed full scale silo installation has been established, funded by industry and the DTI through the British Materials Handling Board. A new technique has been developed to observe solids flow patterns, with 3D dynamic computer graphics. Comprehensive strain gauging (6 strains per station: nearly 400 gauges) exists with a published rigorous technique to infer pressures. Tests will be made on at least three mono-sized and graded materials under concentric and eccentric discharge. Flow patterns and wall pressures will be correlated. Statistical analysis of the pressures will be used to develop code loading rules. Near-full-scale hopper tests to destruction under bulk solids loading will also be undertaken, and structural rules developed from these. The project involves a large input from many industrial companies.
|
|
Key Findings |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Potential use in non-academic contexts |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
|
Impacts |
|
| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
|
| Date Materialised |
|
|
|
|
Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
|
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
|
| Project URL: |
|
| Further Information: |
|
| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ed.ac.uk |