ABSTRACT
On the other hand it is common practice with some silo manufacturers, to cut all blanks for the cylindrical shell with identical length. With stepped wall thickness, this produces small contractions of the inner cross section of the bin. Silo designers, which are not very familiar with the habits in a shop, don’t seem to be aware of this fact or they seemed to decide, that the effect is negligible. Does this reduction of the cross section affect the calculated meridional compression in the shell? Do the little steps on the inside along with protruding welds allow the mobilisation of a much higher drag than calculated for smooth walls? Can the frictional drag grow to the values of a rough wall? Can particulate solids be tested with on an aluminium specimen with a lateral butt weld?
