ABSTRACT
This paper describes a case history of the failure of two silos in a bank of four that took place during discharge. The silos had operated successfully for many years and throughout this time detailed measurements had been made of their settlements as part of a long-term research project. The failure took place immediately after a new silo had been constructed nearby and loaded. The two silos that failed were close to the new one. Understandably the cause of the failures was attributed to the influence of the new silo interacting through the ground with the older silos. The results are presented of the field measurements that were made of the vertical movements around and beneath the silos during loading and unloading together with results from model tests and a full-scale trial. It is concluded from these data that, overwhelming as the circumstantial evidence seems to be for the influence of the new silo, a more plausible explanation for the failures is eccentric flow within the silos.
