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Storage silos are structures for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain (see grain elevators) or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are more commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, wood chips and sawdust. Silo may mean: SILO, is a powerful polygonand subdivision surface 3D modeling application developed by Nevercenter Storage silo, structure used for storing bulk materials Missile silo, to store or launch missiles Mario Rodríguez Cobos (pen name, Silo), an Argentine writer Silo (genus), a genus of pterygot insects of the... Older concrete stave silo 16x40 feet Copyright 2002 Steven J. Dunlop, Nerstrand, MN, USA. Released under the GFDL; all other rights reserved. ... Bulk Material Handling is an engineering field that is centred around the design of equipment (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and control) used for the transportation of materials such as ores and cereals in loose bulk form. ... This article is about cereals in general. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Silage (hay) somewhere in Allschwil or Schönenbuch, near Basel, Switzerland. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... In the most general sense of the word, cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. ... Carbon black is a material, today usually produced by the incomplete combustion of petroleum products. ... Sawdust is composed of fine particles of wood. ...

Types of silos

Three types of silos are in widespread use today:

1. Tower silos
2. Bunker silos
3. Bag silos

Tower silos

Some of the grain silos at Port Giles, South Australia.

This silo contains 27 variations of stone, sand and gravel, Copenhagen, Denmark

Storage silos are cylindrical structures, typically 10 to 90 ft (4 to 30 m) in diameter and 30 to 275 ft (10 to 84 m) in height with the slipform and Jumpform concrete silos being the larger diameter and taller silos. They can be made of many materials. Wood staves, concrete staves, cast concrete, and steel panels have all been used, and have varying cost, durability, and airtightness tradeoffs. Silos storing grain, cement and woodchips are typically unloaded with air slides or augers. Silos can be unloaded into rail cars, trucks or conveyors. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2032x1354, 344 KB) Some of the grain silos at Port Giles on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia Source: Photographer: Scott Davis File links The following pages link to this file: User:ScottDavis/Images Port Giles, South Australia Storage silo Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2032x1354, 344 KB) Some of the grain silos at Port Giles on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia Source: Photographer: Scott Davis File links The following pages link to this file: User:ScottDavis/Images Port Giles, South Australia Storage silo Metadata This... some of the grain silos as Port Giles Port Giles () is the newest port on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, between Stansbury and Edithburgh. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 205 KB) Beskrivelse This silo contains 27 variations of sand and gravel. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 205 KB) Beskrivelse This silo contains 27 variations of sand and gravel. ... For other uses, see Copenhagen (disambiguation). ...

Tower silos containing silage are usually unloaded from the top of the pile, originally by hand using a pitchfork, in modern times using mechanical unloaders. Bottom silo unloaders are utilized at times but have problems with difficulty of repair.

An advantage of tower silos is that the silage tends to pack well due to its own weight, except in the top few feet. The tower silo was invented by Franklin Hiram King. Franklin Hiram King (8 June 1848 – 4 August 1911) was an American agricultural scientist who was born on a farm near Whitewater, Wisconsin, attended country schools, and received his professional training first at Whitewater State Normal School and at Cornell University. ...

In Australia, many country towns in grain-growing areas have concrete tower silos to collect grain from the surrounding towns and store it ready for transport by train or road to an export port.

Bunker silos

This bunker silo contains sugar inside. Chillan,Chile

Bunker silos are trenches, usually with concrete walls, that are filled and packed with tractors and loaders. The filled trench is covered with a plastic tarp to make it airtight. These silos are usually unloaded with a tractor and loader. They are inexpensive and especially well suited to very large operations. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 480 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 1280 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 480 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 1280 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Chill n, located about 500 km south of Chiles capital Santiago, has been from its foundation in the 1500s the heart of Chiles rich agricultural region. ...

Bag silos

Bag silos are heavyweight plastic bags, usually around 6 to 8 ft (2 to 2½ m) in diameter, and of variable length as required for the amount of material to be stored. They are packed using a machine made for the purpose, and sealed on both ends. They are unloaded using a tractor and loader or skid-steer loader. The bag is discarded in sections as it is torn off. Bag silos require little capital investment. They can be used as a temporary measure when growth or harvest conditions require more space, though some farms use them every year. A Bobcat brand skid loader. ...

Safety and silo cleaning

Silos are hazardous, and people die every year in the process of filling and maintaining them. The machinery used is dangerous and with tower silos workers can fall from the silo's ladder or work platform.

There have also been many cases of silos exploding. If the air inside becomes laden with finely granulated particles, such as grain dust, a spark can trigger an explosion powerful enough to blow a concrete silo apart.

There are two main problems which will necessitate cleaning. Bridging occurs when the material consolidates at the base of the silo. Rat holing occurs when the material starts to adhere to the side of the silo. This will reduce the operating capacity of a silo as well as leading to cross-contamination of newer material with older material. There are a number of ways to clean a silo and many of these carry their own risks. However since the early 1990s acoustic cleaners have become available. These are non-invasive, have minimum risk, and can offer a very cost-effective way to keep a silo clean. It can also be called silage wrap. Silo cleaning is a process to maximize the efficiency of storage silos that hold bulk powders or granules. ... Acoustic cleaners // Introduction Acoustic cleaning is used whereever there is a build up of dry materials and particulates which need to be cleaned regularly to ensure maximum efficiency and minimise maintenance and down time. ...

Notable silos

• Schapfen-Mill-Tower, Ulm, Germany, height: 130 metres
• Henninger Turm, Frankfurt, Germany, has an observation deck and 2 revolving restaurants, height: 120 metres
• Silo Tower Basel, Basel, Switzerland, has an observation deck, height: 52 metres
• Quaker Square, Akron, Ohio, is a former set of tower silos that is now a hotel, restaurants and shops

Schapfen-Mill-Tower is a 130 metre high silo tower at Ulm, Germany. ... Ulm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube, about 90 km south-east of Stuttgart and 140 km north-west of Munich. ... The Henninger Turm Skyline of Frankfurt with the Henninger Turm The Henninger Turm (tower) is a grain storage silo with a storage capacity of 16,000 tons of barley. ... For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... The Silo Tower Basel is located in Swiss city Basel in the Rhine harbour Kleinhueningen and possesses a prospect platform on 52 meters height. ... Basel (British English traditionally: Basle and more recently Basel , German: , French: , Italian: ) is Switzerlands third most populous city (166,563 inhabitants (2004); 690,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel Switzerlands second-largest urban area as of 2003). ... Nickname: The Rubber Capital of the World Location within the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Summit Founded 1825 Incorporated 1835 (village) - 1865 (city) Government  - Mayor Don Plusquellic (D) Area  - City  62. ...

References

• Beedle, Peggy Lee. 4. "Silos: an agricultural success story", University of Wisconsin-Extension: 2001, G3660-4.

External links

• International Silo Association
• FRAME Grain Storage Metallic Silo (courtesy of FRAME SpA, Italy) - Frame grain storage