A new facility for the storage and handling of pellets has been completed in France. The new project includes silos, catwalks and towers.
The grain silos are not isolated structures, they have steel structures that allow their support or the support of the handling equipment, structures that allow access for maintenance, the connection with the machinery or with other installations within the facility, among many other functions.
Every steel structure has to be designed to fit the silo perfectly and has to be customized to suit the particular needs of each installation. In this case, the project includes the following structures:
- Elevator tower 5.5×5.5 h = 32.5m. Open structure, including a zig-zag inclined ladder.
- Elevator tower 3.0×3.0 h = 26.5m. Open structure, without ladder.
- Dispatch structure 17.5m long x 5.0m wide and a maximum height of 12.5m. Partially open structure for truck loading/unloading. The structure has a level on which a reversible conveyor is supported, and an upper level where a silo model S458/4 is supported. It features an inclined ladder to access the maintenance level. The enclosure is based on a substructure made of cold-formed galvanised sheet S2201GD frames into which a trapezoidal sheet is screwed.
- Silo support tower35×3.50 h = 21.5m. A catwalk rests on this structure.
- Support towers made of S350GD cold-formed galvanised frames.
- Catwalks made of S350GD galvanised frames. They include collective protection systems such as railings and a floor made of cold-formed galvanised sheet metal as well.
All the structures are bolted by 8.8 hot-dip galvanised screws and are made of S275 JR steel tubular hot-rolled frames with a hot-dip galvanised surface treatment. Additionally, all the passable levels are equipped with skirting boards and galvanized tramex steel grating floor.
Elevator tower. 5.5×5.5m, h = 32.5m. Lifting of the last module.
Elevator tower. 5.5×5.5m, h = 32.5m. on the left side, elevator tower 3.0×3.0 h = 26.5m. on the right side
Structures overview. Assembly of the elevator tower and the catwalk – both made of folded sheet metal – and the dispatch structure.
Structures overview. Assembly of the first module of the elevator tower, catwalk on tower – both in folded sheet metal – and the dispatch structure. In the background you can see a tower that supports an S0350/1 silo for product distribution in an existing building.
Structures overview. Assembly of the first module of the elevator tower and dispatch structure.
Dispatch structure overview.
