How are steel silos classified and what are their characteristics?

Dec 16, 2022Keywords: Bolted Steel Silos, Spiral Steel Silos, Welded Steel Silos

        In layman's terms, any cylindrical structure that stores bulk materials can be called a silo, and a silo made of steel plates is called a steel silo. The steel silo has the functions of accommodation, storage, loading and unloading, reversing, etc., and has the functions of balancing the production process, ensuring continuous production, saving manpower, and improving the degree of mechanization.
        Steel silo is a very advanced and popular storage equipment in modern times. Due to its various performances, its application range is continuously expanding in the industry. It is suitable for industrial fields such as coal, steel, mining, building materials, chemicals, and port environmental protection.

 
        Steel silos are roughly divided into three types: bolted steel silos, spiral steel silos, and welded steel silos.

1.Bolted Steel Silo
        The bolted steel silo is a steel silo assembled by drilling steel plates in the factory and connecting them with high-strength bolts on site. The bolted steel silo has the following characteristics:
(1) The strength of the same specification is smaller than other silo types, and the cost is lower;
(2) It can be assembled directly on site, the construction speed is very fast, and the technical requirements for the installers are not high;
(3) Detachable, reassembled and reused;
(4) High-strength bolts are used to connect steel plates, and the air tightness is relatively poor, so it is not suitable for storing powder materials and metamorphic materials.

 
2.Spiral Steel Silo
        Spiral steel silo uses the principle of "cold rolling and bending" to continuously refrigerate and undercut laminated steel plates. Its structure determines that it can only be used for thin plates. The characteristics of the spiral steel silo are as follows:
(1) With good sealing performance, it can store various powdery materials such as cement, fly ash, and food.
(2) Due to the continuous cold-formed undercut, the overall stability and safety are improved (experience in strong earthquake tests in various regions), and the service life is long.
(3) It cannot be detached, but can only be used.
(4) The technical requirements for field equipment operators are high, and the requirements for reel materials are high, and the range of materials will be narrowed.
(5) Compared with the same specification of bolted silo, the amount of steel used for silo assembly is high, so the cost increases accordingly.

 
3.Welded Steel Silo
        Welded steel silo is made of welded steel plates. It is a large-scale welded steel silo independently developed in the continuous development of our country's steel silo industry. Welded steel silos have the following characteristics:
(1) The silo has a large capacity, with a single silo capacity of 10,000 to 100,000 tons, which can form a larger capacity storage group.
(2) Compared with the spiral steel silo, the construction time is longer, the weight is 2-3 times more than the spiral steel silo, and anti-corrosion treatment is required every 3-5 years.

 
So, how to prolong the life of the steel silo during use?
1. Always check whether the silo wall is deformed, and pay attention to strengthening the bolt connection. If the bolt is found to fall off, it must be filled in time.
2. After unloading the silo, it is necessary to confirm the sealing, whether the door frame and adjacent side panels are deformed, and whether there are cracks. If any abnormal situation is found, appropriate measures should be taken in time. In addition, check whether there is any abnormality in the connection part of the taper and deal with it.
3. If welding deformation, welding cracks, etc. are found, the supply should be temporarily stopped to prevent accidents.

About SRON Silo Engineering

HENAN SRON SILO ENGINEERING Co., Ltd. is China leading reputable EPC Contractor for bulk materials storage silo project, closed storage yard, and bulk material port handling project for grain silo storage solution etc. SRON has the qualifications of Main Contractor for civil construction projects, Main Contractor for mechanical and electrical projects, and Specialized Contractor for steel structure project. We have the complete qualifications in the field of bulk material storage and transportation in China. 

SRON focuses on scientific and technological research, achieving new researching technologies each year. Currently we have 
62 patented technology, among which 7 are invention patents.

SRON have built projects in more than 30 countries and regions, including Russia, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Mongolia, Philippines, Peru and so on, with more than 900 sets of steel silos and up to 3 million tons of materials storage capacities, SRON quality and reputation are highly recognized by global users. For more information about Sron Silo Engineering and the Storage silo solution, please 
contact us or leave your requirements.

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