Efficient designs of reinforced concrete foundations of silos at grain transfer terminals

In the investigation, the designs of reinforced concrete buried foundations with underground galleries and foundations with overground storage basement, which are made for cylindrical metallic silos, are considered. Today the main causes of accidents are destruction of metal construction of silo by nonuniform loads. Though accidents caused by non-uniform operational loads related to asymmetric influences during emptying of silos are at the first place, but there are events of destruction from non-uniform above-the-norm deformations of foundations. The main types of foundations for flat-bottomed silos of large dimensions are modifications of plate foundations built on natural base, pile base, or strengthened bases. Examples of assessment of stressed deformed state of silo foundations with the use of numerical methods of simulation of combined work of base-foundation-structure are presented. Prospective trend of improvement of design solutions for silo foundations is the use of pre-stressing which increases rigidity and has positive influence on general stressed deformed state of foundation design as a whole.