Silo Assembly Using Pre-Assembled Modular Hopper and Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
The construction and assembly of silos at installation locations are often costly and complex due to a lack of necessary facilities and machinery, particularly in remote or under-resourced areas, where manpower and equipment are scarce.
Innovation Solution
A process and design where the silo body is pre-assembled at a facility with the hopper and supporting structure components stored inside, allowing for simplified transportation and assembly at the installation site, utilizing a freight container shape to reduce costs and complexity, with the hopper and supporting structure assembled upon arrival.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the silo is assembled at the installation location using local facilities and machinery, then the silo can be constructed on-site, but the cost and complexity increase significantly due to lack of facilities and manpower in remote areas
Solution Approach 1:
The silo is divided into modular sections that can be pre-assembled at a facility with adequate resources and then transported to the installation location. This segmentation allows the complex assembly operations to be performed in a controlled environment rather than at the remote installation site, reducing on-site complexity while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The silo components are pre-assembled and prepared at a facility with necessary equipment and manpower before transportation. This preliminary action transfers the complex assembly operations from the installation location to a better-equipped facility, thereby reducing on-site complexity while preserving ease of manufacture.
2Loss of time
If the silo components are transported separately to the installation location, then the transportation can be optimized, but the number of operations and time required for assembly increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple silo components are combined into integrated modular sections that can be transported as single units. This merging reduces the number of separate transportation operations while maintaining assembly efficiency, as the pre-assembled modules require fewer on-site operations compared to transporting individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The silo components are pre-assembled into modules before transportation, which reduces the number of assembly operations required at the installation location. This preliminary assembly action decreases both transportation complexity and on-site assembly time, thereby improving overall productivity.
3Manufacturing precision
If industrialized manufacturing standards are used for silo assembly, then the quality and precision improve, but the cost and complexity of transportation and logistics increase
Solution Approach 1:
The silo is segmented into standardized modules that can be manufactured with industrialized precision at a facility and then transported. This segmentation enables the use of precision manufacturing standards while managing transportation complexity through modular, standardized units that are easier to handle and assemble.
Solution Approach 2:
The design parameters of the silo are optimized to balance manufacturing precision with transportation requirements. By adjusting parameters such as module size, connection methods, and structural dimensions, the system achieves high assembly precision while keeping transportation and logistics complexity manageable.
Data Source
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Figure 8A
AI summary
Process for transporting and assembling a silo (10a-10d, 25, 30) for storage of granulated or powdery material, comprising providing a body of silo (11a-11d); providing inside the body of silo (11a-11d) a hopper (12a-12d); and a supporting structure (13) of the silo (10a-10d, 25, 30); transporting, to an installation location of the silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the body of silo (11a-11d) with the supporting structure (13) and the hopper (12a-12d) (12a-12d) arranged inside the body of silo (11a-11d); assembling, at the installation location of the silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the hopper (12a-12d) and the body of silo (11a-11d) at a first end thereof; and providing, at the installation location of the silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the body of silo (11a-11d) on the supporting structure (13). The application also relates to a silo. Preferably the body of silo is a freight container or a maritime container.