Guide to silo design focuses on UK plants
15 Jan 2000
About to be published is a new guide to the design of metal silos. Under preparation by the British Materials Handling Board, the guide features a strong focus on British applications and styles of plant and should, says the BMHB, lead to not only more economic designs, but also to cost savings across industry by preventing silo malfunctions and collapses.
Up until now, the only UK reference work available has been the 1987 BMHB Draft Code of Practice for the Design of Hoppers, Bins, Bunkers and Silos. While this is far more conservative than other national codes - typically quoting double the design pressure to produce safe though uneconomic designs - the European Standard currently under development is not strictly relevant to the UK, where container sizes tend to be smaller.
The main author of the new guide is Prof Michael Rotter of Edinburgh University, whose research work has lead to the recommendations contained in the guide (see PE, April 1996, page 30).
The BMHB is also preparing a simple, practically-orientated guide covering the problems of segregation in silos.
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