Strength of silo transition rings and hoppers

Elevated steel silos consist a cylindrical vessel above a conical hopper and a skirt. The point of intersection of these shell segments is termed the transition. At the hopper/cylinder/skirt transition junction, large circumferential forces and high bending stresses develop in the structure and a ring is often provided to help the cylindrical and conical shells to resist these stresses. The hopper/cylinder/skirt/ring transition junction exhibits the most complex behavior in the silo structure and is also the most difficult to design and fabricate. This paper summarizes much recent research on the behavior and strength of silo hoppers and transition junction rings. Topics included are the elastic buckling, plastic collapse and inelastic buckling of transition rings and the plastic collapse and rupture of steel silo hoppers.