Design optimization of silo structures made from composite materials Part 2: Optimum design of the composoite conical hopper

Abstract

Abstract

This study implements the general design optimization procedures that have been formulated for composite materials to the design of silo structures. Recent Eurocodes and other guides have presented a thorough summary of the necessary procedures for steel silo design. However, design guidance for composite silos is less readily available. While the use of a composite material requires consideration of the anisotropy of the material properties, it also allows a greater degree of interaction between the material and the design requirements. This paper, and its companion, present a general approach to the optimized design of the main parts of a cylindrical silo structure, i.e. the upper cylindrical section (Part 1) and the hopper (Part 2) respectively. The present paper develops the structural optimization of multilaycred and multizonal composite shells further for this particular application. Using the particular silo design outlined in Part 1, it is shown that a reduction in material of more than 50 per cent is achieved compared with the equivalent single-zone design for the conical hopper.