Bunkers and silos may be classified as storage structures generally used for
storing coal, cement, food grains and other granular materials. Reinforced
concrete bunkers and silos have almost replaced the steel storage structures
because of their ease of maintainance and superior architectural qualities,
The present day cement factories invariably opt for single or a battery of
silos to store the manufactured cement. The development of slip form
method of casting of tall cylindrical reinforced concrete structures has result-
ed in rapid construction of silos.
2.2 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BUKNKER AND SILO
(a) Bunkers
Bunkers are shallow structures in which the plane of rupture of the material
Stored meets the top horizontal surface of the material before meeting the
opposite sides of the structure, as shown in Fig. 2.1,
The angle of rupture is at (? =) from the horizontal, where 4 is the
2
angle of repose of the material.
The side walls resist the lateral pressure and the total load of the material
is supported by the floor of the bunker. The intensity of lateral presstire on
the sides is determined by Rankine’s theory.
(b) Silos
In a silo, the vertical walls are considerably taller than the lateral dimen-
sions resulting in a tall structure. Consequently the plane of rupture of the
2.3 DESIGN OF SQUARE OR RECTANGULAR BUNKERS
The structural elements of a bunker are as shown in Fig. 2.3.
The various parts are
1. The vertical side walls
2. Hopper bottom
3. Edge beams
4. Columns.