Low-oxygen silos are only opened directly to the atmosphere during the initial forage loading, and even the unloader chute is sealed against air infiltration. Low-oxygen silos are designed to keep the contents in a low-oxygen atmosphere at all times, to keep the fermented contents in a high quality state, and to prevent mold and decay, as may occur in the top layers of a stave silo or bunker. Low-oxygen tower silos Low-oxygen Harvestore tower silos 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. 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.Ĭoncrete stave silos are built from common components designed for high strength and long life. 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. Concrete is much stronger in compression than tension, so the silo is reinforced with steel hoops encircling the tower and compressing the staves into a tight ring. More hoops are added to strengthen the lower staves.Ĭoncrete stave silos are constructed from small precast concrete blocks with ridged grooves along each edge that lock them together into a high strength shell.
Small stave silos can be expanded upward. In bumper crop times, the excess grain is stored in piles without silos or bins, causing considerable losses.Ĭoncrete stave silos High contrast image showing the intermeshed concrete staves, and how the lower hoops are aligned over the stave edges. In Canada, Australia and the United States, many country towns or the larger farmers in grain-growing areas have groups of wooden or concrete tower silos, known as grain elevators, to collect grain from the surrounding towns and store and protect the grain for transport by train, truck or barge to a processor or to an export port. The tower silo was invented by Franklin Hiram King. However, this may be a disadvantage for items like chopped wood. Bottom silo unloaders are utilized at times, but have problems with difficulty of repair.Īn advantage of tower silos is that the silage tends to pack well due to its own weight, except in the top few feet.
Tower silos containing silage are usually unloaded from the top of the pile, originally by hand using a silage fork-which has many more tines than the common pitchfork 12 vs 4-and in modern times using mechanical unloaders. Silos can be unloaded into rail cars, trucks or conveyors. Silos storing grain, cement and woodchips are typically unloaded with air slides or augers. Wood staves, concrete staves, cast concrete, and steel panels have all been used, and have varying cost, durability, and airtightness tradeoffs. Storage silos are cylindrical structures, typically 10 to 90 ft (3 to 27 m) in diameter and 30 to 275 ft (10 to 90 m) in height with the slipform and Jumpform concrete silos being the larger diameter and taller silos. Types of silos Tower silo Concrete stave silo under construction in 2015 Three types of silos are in widespread use today: tower silos, bunker silos, and bag silos. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used to store grains. Silos in Acatlán, Hidalgo, MexicoĪ silo (from Ancient Greek σιρός ( sirós) 'pit for holding grain') is a structure for storing bulk materials. Grain bins in Cashton, Wisconsin Grain elevators are composed of groups of grain silos, such as these at Port Giles, South Australia. JSTOR ( August 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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