Silos are storage equipment used for long term or short-term storage of dry items such as cement, food grains etc. or liquids such as water, chemicals etc. A silo is also used for blending (mixing) of multiple items in which case these are termed as Blending Silos. A silo can have a very vast range of size starting from a few feet in diameter up to say 50 feet diameter and 100 feet or more of height. These are generally designed and fabricated out of mild steels in parts as per customer requirements in terms of capacity, type of material. Each silo is specifically engineered to withstand seismic forces, environmental changes, wind loads etc. Welded silos can be fabricated using skirt, leg or structural support. Various international codes are followed for designing and fabrication of silos not only from a safety standpoint but also material strength.
These specifications are used in conjunction with the following codes:
• AWS - American Welding Society
• UBC - Uniform Building Code
• FDA - Food and Drug Administration
• OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials
• SAE - Society of Automotive Engineers
• SSPC - Steel Structures Painting Council