01Structural design

Structural design
& analysis

Grain bins, silos, hopper structures, and handling towers. Designed for the loads grain actually exerts, not the loads an ordinary building sees.

Discipline
Structural
Sector
Grain storage
Codes
U.S. + EU
Ø 48.0 FT H 80.0 FT σₕ LATERAL PRESSURE · JANSSEN BULK-SOLIDS PRESSURE GOVERNS
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01 — What it covers
ST · SVC-01
Rev 04
The structures that store and move grain.

We design every structure in the storage and handling line, from a single flat-bottom bin to a full facility. Bins and silos, hopper structures, roofs and rings, towers and the support steel beneath them. Each is analyzed for the loads grain actually exerts.

Grain is not a static fill. It flows, bridges, and bears on the wall, and the discharge cycle pulls the structure off-center. We model the Janssen and mass-flow pressures, then check the shell, the substructure, the anchorage, and the foundation against them. Every load case is run against the governing U.S. code or Eurocode, and the governing check is named in the output.

Governs — Bulk-solids pressure
02When you need it
01

A new bin, silo, or facility that needs a defensible structural basis.

02

An existing structure being re-rated, extended, or repurposed.

03

A manufacturer's standard product that needs an engineered foundation.

04

A structure showing distress: cracking, denting, or shell distortion.

05

A design by another engineer that needs an independent check.

03What you receive
A

Calculation package

Every load case worked, with the governing check shown at each step.

B

Structural drawings

Stamp-ready drawings, detailed and issued for construction.

C

Load summary

A plain statement of what governs the design, and why.

PE stamping is a separate engineering engagement. See Stamping and Certification.
04Codes applied

The standards register.

Each check traces to a published standard. These are the ones this service works in.

ASABE S433Loads exerted by free-flowing grain on bin walls and bottoms.
ASABE S652Design loads for cylindrical and conical grain storage structures.
ASCE 7-22Wind, seismic, and snow load on the structure and its components.
AISC 360 / AISI S100Hot-rolled and cold-formed steel member and connection design.
ACI 313 / 318Concrete silo, stave, and foundation design.
EN 1991-4 / EN 1993The Eurocode path for silo actions and steel structures.
05Design it yourself

The SiloForge™ programs for this work.

Start a project

Build it once.

Send the geometry, the codes, and the timeline. We will design the structure that endures.