Dynamic FE simulations of buckling process in thin-walled cylindrical metal silos

• Silo buckling is investigated using a static and dynamic FE analysis.
• Silo shells are subjected to axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric loads.
• First eigen-mode is used to describe initial geometric imperfections.
• Nonlinear dynamic analysis is effective to obtain the full load–displacement curve.

The buckling of cylindrical steel silos is caused by the wall friction force due to shearing between the silo fill and silo wall. The aim of this paper is to investigate the stability process in a silo composed of thin-walled isotropic plain rolled sheets using a static and dynamic finite element analysis by taking both the geometric and material non-linearity into account during eccentric discharge. Silo shells were subjected to axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric loads imposed by a bulk solid following Eurocode 1. The differences between the results of static and dynamic analyses were comprehensively discussed. The advantages of a dynamic approach were outlined.