WHEAT LOADS AND VERTICAL PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION IN A FULL-SCALE BIN .1. FILLING

Flat-bottom cylindrical grain bins are subjected to unique loads and p ressures during the filling process. The vertical and lateral loads im posed on a bin wall and the vertical load on a bin poor by wheat durin g piling were measured. The radial distribution of vertical pressure d uring piling was also measured. The vertical pressure was determined t o be dependent on the radial location and was not uniformly distribute d. The load distribution in a bin with an H/D ratio of 3 was 83% on th e poor and 17% on the walls. Three widely used prediction equations of Janssen, Reimbert, and Walker were compared to the measured loads and pressures and were determined to have similar shapes but different pa rameters for a best fit to observed data.