Storage Bin Sidewall Segmentation for Hoop Tension Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
As storage bin size increases, the hoop tension and downward force due to internal pressure and friction from stored materials exceed the structural capabilities of typical corrugated sheets, leading to material thickness limitations and potential structural failures.
Innovation Solution
A storage bin design featuring a corrugated outer sidewall with alternating grooved portions and a generally flat inner sidewall, coupled by fasteners, which share the hoop tension load and provide increased material thickness at the base to accommodate larger diameters, while reducing frictional loads and shear forces on fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple corrugated sheets are laminated to increase material thickness, then the structural strength increases to accommodate increased hoop tension, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wall structure is segmented into an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall that are coupled together but function independently to share hoop tension loads. This segmentation allows each wall to be optimized separately, avoiding the need for complex laminated structures while achieving the same strength improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite wall structure combining a corrugated outer sidewall with a flat inner sidewall. The corrugated outer sidewall provides structural strength to resist hoop tension, while the flat inner sidewall provides a smooth surface for material storage. This composite approach achieves both strength requirements and manufacturing simplicity.
2Reliability
If the overall material thickness of corrugated sheets is increased to accommodate increased hoop stress, then the structural integrity improves, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wall is divided into two separate sidewalls coupled together, allowing each to be manufactured independently using standard thickness materials. This avoids the need to manufacture or source thick laminated corrugated sheets, improving ease of manufacture while maintaining structural integrity through the combined wall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer sidewall is corrugated to provide local structural strength for resisting hoop tension, while the inner sidewall is flat to provide local smoothness for material contact. This local differentiation of properties allows each component to be optimized for its specific function using appropriate thickness and geometry.
3Strength
If a single thick corrugated sidewall is used to support increased hoop tension, then the structural capacity increases, but the frictional loads and downward forces on the sheets increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hoop tension load is segmented and shared between the inner sidewall and outer sidewall. The corrugated outer sidewall resists hoop tension through its structural geometry, while the flat inner sidewall provides a smooth surface that reduces frictional loads on the material. This segmentation simultaneously achieves both structural capacity and reduced frictional forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer sidewall has a corrugated surface optimized for structural strength to resist hoop tension, while the inner sidewall has a flat surface optimized to minimize friction with stored materials. This local differentiation of surface properties allows the structure to handle high hoop tensions without generating excessive frictional loads on the material.
Data Source
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AI summary
A storage bin may include a corrugated outer sidewall, a generally flat inner sidewall, and a first fastener. The corrugated outer sidewall may support a hoop tension provided by a material within the storage bin and may include a series of horizontally extending corrugations forming alternating grooved portions defining alternating circumferentially extending radially inner and outer ridges vertically spaced from one another along a vertical extent of the outer sidewall. The corrugated outer sidewall may define a first aperture. The generally flat inner sidewall may support the hoop tension, abut the radially inner ridges, and define a second aperture. The first fastener may extend through the first and second apertures and may couple the inner and outer sidewalls to one another.