Static and Dynamic Behaviour of Circular Silo with Different Lateral Load Resisting Systems

Circular silos are constructed for many industries to store the material such as food grains, cement, clinker etc. in large quantities. The lateral loads such as earthquake and wind have a vital effect on the structure causing a lot of damage, failure of structure and huge loss to the industry. Hence it is necessary to study the response of such structures under earthquake forces. The behavior depends upon the ground motion characteristics as well as the mass ensiled in the silo. In order to reduce the effect of such forces, various lateral load resisting systems are provided in supporting sections i.e. in between columns. The present study is about the static and dynamic behaviour of silo subjected to earthquake forces situated in all zones of India. Shear plate elements as well as bracing elements are used as lateral load resisting units between adjacent columns. The 3D modelling and analysis is carried out using structural analytical tool SAP-2000. The combinations of loads are defined as per guidelines provided in Indian standard codes. Response spectrum method of analysis is used for the dynamic analysis of silo structure. In this study, results are obtained and compared in the form of base shear, maximum displacement, natural time period and stresses. From the comparison of results the best suitable element is obtained and suggested to enhance the performance of the silo structure under earthquake loads.