Farm Silo

A silo (from the Greek - siros, pit for holding grain) is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or... more

by Robert Bales

Title

Farm Silo

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

A silo (from the Greek - siros, "pit for holding grain") is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use today - tower silos, bunker silos and bag silos.
Concrete stave silos are constructed from small precast concrete blocks with ridged grooves along each edge that lock them together into a high strength shell. Much of concrete's strength comes from its high compressibility, so the silo is held together by steel hoops encircling the tower and compressing the staves into a tight ring. The vertical stacks are held together by intermeshing of the ends of the staves by a short distance around the perimeter of each layer, and hoops which are tightened directly across the stave edges.
The static pressure of the material inside the silo pressing outward on the staves increases towards the bottom of the silo, so the hoops can be spaced wide apart near the top but become progressively more closely spaced towards the bottom to prevent seams from opening and the contents leaking out.
Concrete stave silos are built from common components designed with high strength and long life. They have the flexibility to have their height increased according to the needs of the farm and purchasing power of the farmer, or to be completely disassembled and reinstalled somewhere else if no longer needed.

Uploaded

March 1st, 2013