Effect of bulk solid on strength of cylindrical corrugated silos during filling

•We conducted buckling FE analyses for silos with corrugated sheets.•Bulk solid was described with a hypoplastic constitutive model.•Non-linear analyses with geometric and material non-linearity were performed.•The FE results were compared with the Eurocode formulae.

The paper presents 3D numerical analysis results on the effect of bulk solid on strength and stability of metal cylindrical silos with corrugated walls (without stiffeners) during filling. The behaviour of two bulk solids (dry sand and wheat) was described with a hypoplastic constitutive model. Non-linear FE analyses with both geometric and material non-linearity were performed. The numerical results were compared with the Eurocode formulae. The strengthening effect of the stored solid, wall thickness, solid granular hardness, initial void ratio of solid and wall friction angle on buckling strength was investigated. The major contribution of the paper is the quantitative estimation of the effect of the bulk solid stiffness on the silo stability and wall stresses.

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