Silo Transition Plate Uniform Shear Outflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current silo designs often result in incomplete outflow of stored materials, leading to decay and quality issues due to residual material accumulation, particularly in corners where pressure variations cause blockages and fungi formation.
Innovation Solution
A silo design featuring a transition plate with a constant angle of inclination between the cell walls and outlet opening, ensuring uniform shear along the periphery, preventing material accumulation and facilitating complete outflow by eliminating dead volumes and irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional silo designs with rectangular or square cells and direct outlet openings are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but material accumulates in corners creating dead volumes that lead to incomplete outflow and decay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transition plate as an intermediary element between the rectangular cell and the circular outlet opening. This transition plate with its specific angle of inclination (α) acts as a mediator that guides material flow from the corners of the rectangular cell toward the outlet, preventing accumulation while maintaining structural simplicity. The transition plate is the key intermediary component that resolves the contradiction between easy manufacturing and complete outflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the outlet opening from rectangular (matching the cell) to circular, and introduces a specific angle of inclination (α) for the transition plate. This parameter change optimizes the flow dynamics by creating uniform shear along the periphery, ensuring complete outflow while keeping the overall structure simple and manufacturable.
2Quantity of substance
If outlet openings are positioned to maximize storage capacity, then more material can be stored, but pressure variations cause blockages and incomplete discharge in certain areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the position and geometry of the outlet opening by making it circular and positioning it centrally at the bottom of the cell. The transition plate with its specific angle of inclination (α) creates uniform pressure distribution during discharge, eliminating the pressure variations that cause blockages. This parameter optimization ensures both maximum storage capacity and complete outflow efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition plate design creates equipotential conditions for material flow by ensuring uniform shear along the entire periphery of the outlet opening. This eliminates pressure variations and flow stagnation points, allowing material to discharge completely and uniformly from all areas of the cell, maximizing both storage utilization and outflow efficiency.
3Volume of moving object
If the cell has a rectangular cross-section for efficient storage, then space utilization is maximized, but corners create dead volumes where material accumulates and decays
Solution Approach 1:
The transition plate serves as an intermediary that eliminates the harmful effect of corner accumulation. By introducing this component with its specific geometry and angle of inclination, the patent prevents material from stagnating in corners while maintaining the rectangular cell shape for efficient storage. The transition plate mediates between the rectangular cell geometry and the circular outlet to prevent decay.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the outlet opening geometry to circular and introduces the angle of inclination parameter (α) for the transition plate. This parameter change ensures that material flow patterns eliminate corner accumulation, preventing decay while maintaining the rectangular cell's storage efficiency. The circular outlet with transition plate creates flow paths that reach all corners of the rectangular cell.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design ensures complete outflow of materials, preventing decay and maintaining quality by ensuring uniform pressure distribution and reducing the risk of residual material accumulation, thus enhancing the storage and handling of bulk and perishable goods.
Implementation Method 1
The angle of inclination α between the wall of the cell and the transition plate is constant along the entire circumference of the outlet opening, which offers the advantage that the material stored in the silo experiences a uniform shear along the periphery of the outlet opening
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c
Figure 2a~2c
AI summary
The present invention relates to a silo (1) comprising one or more cells (2), each cell comprising one or more outlet openings (3), wherein said cells have an angular cross-section and wherein said outlet openings have a non-angular cross-section, wherein said outlet openings and said cells are connected to one another by means of a transition plate (4), wherein the angle a between the wall of the cell and said transition plate is constant along the radial periphery of the outlet opening. The present invention also relates to a kit and a method for constructing such silo.