Chapter 3: Description of Instruments Used

Industrial range instruments have been designed to withstand the most demanding conditions
in the handling and moving of grain. The industrial range shall include the following:
o Bucket elevators: Used to lift grain to a distributor, from which it falls through
spouts and/or conveyors and into grain bins in a storage facility.

Figure 1 showing example of the industrial range bucket elevator

General Characteristics of the Bucket Elevator:

 Direct transmission
 Shrink disk
 Inspection windows in the motor section
 Regulation hatch
 Torque arm
 Top cover on the motor section
 Covering at the foot of the elevator
 Inspection windows in the tall section
 Intermediate sections of 2 and 3 meters
 Inspection section
 Tensioning section covers
 Easy to use pulley tensioner
 UHMW Polyethylene wear resistance material
Standard instrumentations should have the following features (ATEX 21 certification)
 450/900 input
 450/900 output hopper
 Belt misalignment detectors
 Rotation sensor
 Temperature sensor
 PEHD polyethylene buckets
 Anti-return brake
  Ani-explosion panels
 Dust aspiration: Is a dust collector system used to enhance the quality of air released
from industrial and commercial processes by collecting dust and other impurities from
air or gas.
Table 1 showing various bucket elevator models and its respective parameters

A reliable bucket elevator gives maximum throughput and less grain damage, ensuring that

the operation is efficient.
*The specified values have been established using a material with a density of 0.75T/m3.
o Chain Conveyor (Z-shaped): moves corn grain along a product line into grain bins

Figure 2 showing Z-shaped conveyor in operation Figure 3 showing Z-shaped chain conveyor
This enables a Z-shaped configuration with a horizontal section and another sloping one that
allows it to pass over obstacles or changes in height. It is a simple design that combines the
characteristics of the GCI chain conveyor with a new design of transport sections, which can
be installed in a vent conveyor for the reception o material or to avoid long slopes in long
chain conveyors.
With this instrument, starting from the loading conveyor in an inclined orientation, obstacles
can be passed over and the transport continued along a horizontal section.
General Characteristics:
 Upward section
 Downward section
 Inner skid
 Anti-wear material
 Overflow system

Table 2 showing various chain conveyor models and its respective parameters

The specified values have been established using a material with a density 0.75T/m3 as a
reference
*Available in 50 and 100 slopes
Additional instruments that aids with the chain conveyor operation:
 Figure 4 showing a motorised gearbox that controls the speed of the conveyor

Figure 5 showing a chain tensioner that controls the rate of flow

o Industrial Discharge Gate: allows for grain flow with minimal stress

Figure 6 showing the industrial discharge gate

Figure 7 showing an industrial discharge gate in operation

General Characteristics:
 Easily fixed to the conveyor
 No waste accumulation
 Protection from the weather condition
 Opening and closing control system
 Safe opening system
 Protected with UHMW wear material
 Cleaning brushes
Standard Instrumentation:
 One loading per belt
 Belt cleaning scraper
 Detachable cover along the whole length
 Outlet
 Vulcanized driving drum
 Squirrel cage tensioning drum
 Height adjustable leg up to 1.5m
 Flaps at the entrance
 Inspection hatch in the head
 Guide rollers
 Return rollers
 Cleaning rollers
Table 3 showing various models of industrial discharge gate and its parameters

 Screw Conveyor: used to transfer grains to or from a truck, grain cart or grain bin.

Figure 8 showing an example of a screw conveyor

General Characteristics:
 Mechanically simple
 Direct drive type
 Side skirting
 Lightweight screw
 Maximum slope 300
 Easy to maintain
Standard instrumentation:
 Anti-sway supports: one every 3m
 Polyamide sleeves
 Maximum screw lengths 3m
 Motorized gearbox with parallel axles
 Discharge outlet in the head
 Loading point in the tail
 Various loading points
The configuration of the engine allows the transport of grain and expands the possibility of
location of several inputs and multiple outputs.
Table 4 showing the vaious screw conveyor models and its respective parameters.

*The specified values have been established using a material with a density of 0.75T/m 3 as a
reference.
*The slope can significantly reduce the stated flow depending on the characteristics of the
product.
o Roof vents/ventilation grill and catwalks:

 Roof vents guarantee proper silo ventilation and prevents the entrance of water even
in the most adverse weather conditions.
 Catwalks to support loading mechanism and easier silo floor maintenance and
operability.

Figure 9 showing roof vents and catwalks

o Inspection holes for easier visual control of the silo and corn stored inside.

Figure 10 showing grain silo inspection hole

o Bobcat door is ideal when unloading the flat bottom silo which allows for the product
residual slope to be emptied.

Figure 11 showing bobcat door on metal silo

o Silo staircase makes easy access to the silo for maintenance tasks and visual analysis
of the product.

Figure 12 showing grain silo staircase

o Internal Sledge situated on the roof of the wall to make the product slide down more
homogeneously; preventing breakage during loading of the silo.

Figure 13 showing a grain silo internal sledge

o Level sensor measures the product level at fixed points continuously.

Figure 14 showing a grain silo level sensor

o Control Temperature System is a temperature and moisture measuring, monitoring

and control system inside the silo.

Figure 15 showing a grain silo control temperature system

o Fumigating System ventilation chimney closure system that enhances the condition
of the silo for fumigation purpose.

Figure 16 showing a grain silo fumigating system

 Perimeter handrail is a structure that enhances safety when doing maintenance work
on the silo roof.

Figure 17 showing the perimeter handrail on a grain silo

◦ Elevator towers offer stability, easy access to the catwalk and make for safer elevator
maintenance.
Uses:
- facilities where the grain reception is centralised in a group of elevators
- for processing towers with reception, weighing and cleaning
- port facility transfer
 Figure 18 showing grain silo elevator towers

****Other instruments to be considered shall include but not limited to the following:
Geotechnical Works: Soil Exploration test procedure
Bore hole test: CME drill rig, stem augers, split spoon, Cathead hammer.
Atterberg Limits (Plastic and Liquid Limits): Sieves, spatula, balance, porcelain evaporating
dish, metal cans, Mechanical Liquid Limit device, ASTM grooving tool, oven.
Sieve Analysis: electronic balance, mechanical shaker
Proctor compaction test: compaction mould, rammer, weighing balance
Vane Shear test: vane shear apparatus, specimen container, callipers
Unconfined compression test: compression device, load and deformation dial gauges, sample
trimming equipment, electronic balance, moisture can
Source:
Villasan, S. (2010). Grain silo handling equipment. Siloscordoba.com. Retrieved from
https://siloscordoba.com/industries/grain-storage-handling-and-conditioning/handling-
equipment-matra/
 Chap3: Design of experiment (Variables)

Test Variables and Limitation

According to the Janssen’s equation (Janssen, 1895), the normal pressure (𝑝ℎ) and vertical

stress (𝑝𝑣) are function of the diameter and height of the silo cylinder, density of corn bulk.

Moisture content and the depth of corn bulk inside of the silo bin will be the major variables

in the test. The wind force and the temperature change will be expected to have minimal

influence on the test result of hoop strain of the side wall.

It will not economically feasible to measure the lateral displacement on the entire height of

the side wall because it will be very expensive and time consuming. Furthermore, most

deformation and highest strain will be expected to occur at the bottom one-third height of the

silo, as numerical studies have shown that the maximum pressure from grains occur close to

the silo bin floor.

Summary of Test Procedure Questions

 At what height from the top of the concrete foundation will the maximum lateral

displacement occur?

 What will be the horizontal pressure on the side wall using Janssen equation?

 Will the magnitude of the circumferential strain increase or decrease base on the

percentage of filling?

It is expected that the circumferential strain will remain positive which will imply that the

side wall is under tension in the hoop direction.

 Will the strain of the vertical wall be negative or positive when the silo is completely

filled, to indicate whether the side wall is under compression in the said direction?
 Will the strain on the side wall be any less than the yield strain when the silo is

completely filled so as to indicate if the structure experience elastic deformation

subjecting to grain load?

 Chapt2 Lit review

Topography
Geography of area

The community of Alligator Pond is a small fishing community in South Manchester.

Alligator Pond lies at the foot of the Don Figero Mountains to the North East, some 35 km

from Mandeville, the parish capital. The name is said by locals to derive from the shape of

the mountain range, which viewed from the beach, has bumps which suggest an alligator's

back. The community stretches about two miles along the seacoast in southern Jamaica. The

community has area coverage of 1.5 km sq. The community of Alligator Pond borders the

Caribbean Sea to the south, the community of New Forrest to the north, the community of

Plowden to the east and Junction community in the west. Most of terrain is flat with features

of the largest sand dunes in the western hemisphere. The community has a population of

approximately 2152 people with 538 households. The community is served with a police

station, library, community centre, market, cemetery, post office, primary and basic school.

The main economic activity in the community is fishing with cash crops such as escallion and

thymes being the other minor activities. Alligator Pond is rich in biodiversity with endemic

species such as the giant yellow tail butterfly and the bull thatch palm species. The

community is unique in its climate pattern as it either suffers from massive droughts or

excessive rainfall that sometimes lead to flooding. The Canoe Valley area situated in the

community is a reserved one because it is a wetland that is rich in flora and fauna and micro-

organisms (Dennis, 2011).

 Figure 19 showing Map of Alligator Pond, Jamaica with coordinates 17.870 N, 77.570
Source: http://www.odpem.org.jm/Portals/0/Alligator%20Pond%20Final.pdf

Figure 20 showing satellite location of Alligator Pond

Source: Google maps, 2019
Figure 21 showing the proposed locations

Or
The land area is relatively flat with a tropical climate. The rainy months are May, June,

August, September, October and November. Precipitation is lowest in January, with an

average of 32 mm. With an average of 217 mm, the most precipitation falls in October.

Average precipitation in a year is 1161 mm or 45.71 in. (Climate-data, n.d.). As a result of

this, the proposed land area is susceptible to surface run off from hilly areas nearby.

Similarly, the facility shall be outside potential flooding areas and load bearing capacity of

land shall be suitable for storage silo without the use of piling for foundation.

Source: https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/jamaica/alligator-pond/alligator-pond-718426/

Say why the location was chosen above

others….. you have this info written down
somewhere!
 Sustainability
The design of the facility to include solar technology should be fairly adequate due to its

location. Alligator Pond which is located just off the coastline of the island should also be

ideal for wind turbines. This implementation possesses the following features:

 Less noisy compared to the use of other turbines

 May required high maintenance

 Cost of using wind energy to produce the required amount of electricity may be three

times the cost of the solar cell. Thus, from an economic standpoint, using solar cells

will be the right approach for the facility. The renewable source of energy is expected

to provide up to 40-50% of the facility’s energy needs (Hutchinson, 2015).

Benefits of the solar system shall include but are not limited to the following:

Reduce operating cost:

The application of Solar Energy will significantly reduce the amount of electricity needed to

run the facility. In this case the electrical requirements will not be limited to JPS but also

solar energy.

Good Return on Investment:

Implementation pf the systems will also yield very quick return and large increases in long

term financial savings. It can be seen as a good Financial, Economical and Environmental

decision.

Low Maintenance:

Solar cells require very little maintenance. Thus, only a small amount of energy will be

incurred from their continual activity.

Earning the Green Label:

With the use of an alternative source, the facility can fight against global warming and reduce

the country’s dependence on foreign sources. The use of such a resource will not only reduce

operation expenses but will serve as a great marketing tool. Having an environmentally

responsible image will be good for the facility, as it will generate a positive response from

consumers and users.

Internal Grain Load of Silo

Janssen’s equation was presented by Janssen in 1895 for predicting the static lateral bin

pressure and internal wall surface friction due to grain load. According to Jose et al. (2013),

three international silo building standards (ASAE EP 433-2000, AS 3774-96, ISO 11697-95)

adopt the same theory and equation for predicting the horizontal (lateral) pressures (𝑝ℎ) on

the silo wall. However, these three standards differ in determining the unloading effect since

use different coefficients of overpressure. According to these three standards and codes, the

horizontal (𝑝ℎ ) and vertical (𝑝𝑣 ) pressure forces on the side wall can be determined using

the Janssen Equation (Janssen, 1895) as follows:

 Coefficient and Parameters of Grain

The constants such as the coefficient of friction of corn on the galvanized steel bin wall (𝜇),

Janssen ratio of horizontal to vertical pressure (𝐾𝑗 ), and the grain moisture content (MC)

need to be determined for predicting of the silo internal lateral wall pressure and surface

friction on the silo wall. According to the past study (Bucklin et al., 1993), the coefficient of

friction of grain on wall material (∅ ′ ) has the highest effect on the magnitude of the lateral

wall pressure.

Several experimental studies were completed by Bucklin et al. (1993) to study sources of

fluctuation in the dynamic coefficient of friction of corn on galvanized steel. Bucklin et al.

(1993) based on the test data made following conclusions:

1. Dynamic coefficient of friction did not change consistently with the change in the pressure.

2. The value of coefficient of friction decreases with prolonged time and as number of filling

cycles increases. This was also found by Thompson et al. (1988) and Thomson and Ross

(1983).

3. The lateral pressure on the side wall in the Janssen Equation increases as the coefficient of

friction between the corn and steel wall decreases.

Thompson et al. (1988) and Bucklin et al. (1989) found that the value of the coefficient of

friction decreased when wheat repeatedly passed over a galvanized surface which was as a

result of the deposit of organic material from the wheat particles on the metal surface.

Bucklin et al. (1989) found that as the grain movement occurred on the bin wall, which was

smaller than the static value, the coefficient of friction changed from a static value to

dynamic value. The dynamic coefficient of friction was defined as the coefficient of friction

between the steel surface and the grains along the steel surface when grains move and slide.

The static coefficient of friction was determined when the grains started moving on the steel
surface. The dynamic value of coefficient of friction decreased with the time as greater

amounts of grain move over the bin wall surface. Moreover, the study found that as the

pressure increased the dynamic coefficient of friction of wheat on steel wall decreased which

was also observed by Zhang et al. (1988). Further, Bucklin et al. (1989) concluded that the

dynamic coefficient of friction varied with pressure and type of silo wall material. This study

also found that repeated sliding contact with the grain decreased the coefficient of friction.

Regression equations for the dynamic coefficient of friction (𝜇𝑑) of corn on cold rolled steel

were developed and presented in the studies completed by Bickert and Buelow (1966) as

follows:

where, MC is the moisture content measured as the percentage of wet bulb (w.b., %) and 𝜇𝑑

is the dynamic coefficient of friction.

Turgut and Bilge (2013) conducted a test to study physical and mechanical properties of corn

to determine the parameters of structural design for storage silos. In this study, bulk density,

true density, angle of internal friction, static coefficient of friction were chosen as dependent

variables and moisture content (MC) was considered as an independent variable. Thus,

regression equations of each parameters related to the independent variable which was

moisture content (MC) were found in this study. Accordingly, a regression equation of bulk

density of popcorn (𝛾𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑛) which was presented by Turgut and Bilge (2013) as follows:
where, MC is moisture content measured as the percentage of dry bulb (d.b., %). Turgut and

Bilge (2013) also developed and presented a regression equation for the static coefficient

(𝜇𝑠 ) of friction of corn on the galvanized steel as follows:

where, MC is the moisture content measured as the percentage of wet bulb (w.b., %) and 𝜇𝑠

is static coefficient of friction of corn on galvanized steel. A regression equation for the angle

of internal friction (∅𝑝𝑜𝑝) between popcorns was presented (Turgut and Bilge, 2013) as well

and as follows:

where, MC is moisture content measured as the percentage of dry bulb (d.b., %) and ∅𝑝𝑜𝑝 is

angle of internal friction between bulk solids.

 Reference
Bickert, W. G., and Buelow, F. H., 1966, “Kinetic friction of grains on surfaces.”

Transactions of the ASAE, Vol. 9(1):129-131, 134.

Bucklin, R. A., Thompson, S. A., Ross, I. J., and Biggs, R. H., 1993, “Apparent dynamic

coefficient of friction of corn on galvanized steel bin wall material.” Transactions of

the ASAE, Vol. 36(6): 1915-1918.

Bucklin, R. A., Thompson, S. A., Ross, I. J., and Biggs, R. H., 1989, “Apparent dynamic

coefficient of friction of wheat on bin wall material.” Transactions of the ASAE, Vol.

32(5): 1769-1773.

Hutchinson, M. (2015). Alternative energy plus: making electricity more available.

Aepjm.com. Retrieved from http://aepjm.com/batteries

José W. B. do Nascimento, José P. Lopes Neto, and Michael D. Montross., 2013, “Horizontal

pressures in cylindrical metal silos and comparison with different international

standards.” Eng. Agríc., Jaboticabal, Vol. 33(4): 601-611.

Dennis, N. (2011). Community disaster and management risk plan: Alligator pond.

Odpem.org.jm. Retrieved from http://www.odpem.org.jm/Portals/0/Alligator

%20Pond%20Final.pdf

Thompson, S. A., Bucklin, R. A., Batich, C. D., and Ross, I. J., 1988, “Variation in the

apparent coefficient of friction of wheat on galvanized steel.” Transaction of the

ASAE, Vol. 31(5): 1518-1524.

Thompson, S. A. and Ross, I. J., 1983, “Compressibility and frictional coefficients of wheat.”

Transaction of the ASAE, Vol. 26(4): 1171-1176, 1180.

Turgut Öztürk and Bilge Esen., 2013, “Physical and mechanical properties of some hybrid

corn varieties.” Int J Agric & Biol Eng, Vol. 6(1): 111-116.

Villasan, S. (2010). Grain silo handling equipment. Siloscordoba.com. Retrieved from

https://siloscordoba.com/industries/grain-storage-handling-and-conditioning/handling-

equipment-matra/

Zhang, Q., Puri, V. M., and Manbeck, H. B., 1988, “Model for frictional behavior of wheat

on structural materials.” Transaction of the ASAE, Vol. 31(3): 898-903.