Finite Element Analysis of Bulk Solids Flow: Part 2, Application to a Parametric Study

Silos and bins are used in most process industries for the storage and handling of bulk solids. This paper deals with the application of a secant constitutive relationship for bulk solids in a transient finite element analysis of stresses, displacements and velocities during discharge of soybean from a silo. The object is to illustrate the use of the analysis procedure in a limited parametric study. The results in this paper are normal bin wall pressures, principal stresses in the stored material, soybean, and the spread of plasticity through the continuum. It is shown that the friction between wall and soybean and the hopper opening have a significant effect on normal wall pressures. It was found that in the hopper they increase considerably beyond the static ones in the first few seconds of flow, before decreasing as the level of the material falls. It was also found that the normal wall pressures in the vertical part of the bin increased very little during discharge.