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New Style Grain Silo Lowers Storage Costs
"It's the first of its kind ù a break-through in high-capacity, lower cost grain storage," says Glen White of Glen White Industries, Aylmer, Ontario, one of the designers of a unique 1,000,000 bu. flat silo in Melbourne, Ont., that features a "half circle" wall panel design that lowered building costs by about two-thirds.
The new-style grain silo, built for Maple Leaf Mills, is 70 ft. high at its center and 216 ft. across. The sides are 22 ft. high, made up of curved panels 20 ft. wide with an 18-ft. radius.
"The advantage of curved panels, which curve inward, is that each stands independently. The inward curve diverts most of the weight of the grain to the ground. The panels are supported by jack braces and individual panels could be replaced without damaging the rest of the structure," White told FARM SHOW.
The silo's pyramiding roof is also unique. It's constructed in 16 segments with a steel frame and wood purlins. A layer of plywood, which acts as a condensation barrier, is covered by shingles. Eight fans blow into the structure through eight aeration tunnels that meet in the center of the building. White notes that this provides the highest level of aeration where the concentration of grain and fines is the highest.
White says a conventional concretegrain silo of comparable capacity would have cost from $1.25 to $1.50 per bu., while the Melbourne facility cost right at 60 cents a bu., including aeration. Without aeration, White says the structure could have been built for less than 50 cents a bu. He notes that the basic design concept can be adapted to varying, size structures.
The concrete side panels, each weighing 27 tons, were poured on site with the joint construction aid of local contractor Verne Hathaway and Sons. The entire project was completed within a six week period.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glen White Industries, Rt. 5, Aylmer, Ontario. N5H 2R4 Canada (ph 519 765-2244).


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1983 - Volume #7, Issue #2