Granular material storage container and associated method

Abstract

A granular material storage container and associated method. The storage container includes a foundation, a peripheral wall supported on the foundation, a plurality of vertical stiffeners attached to the peripheral wall, and a horizontal connector connecting the peripheral wall to the foundation. The horizontal connector extends between at least a pair of vertical stiffeners and operates for load transfer from the peripheral wall to the foundation during single pass sweeping.

1 . A granular material storage container comprising: 
 a foundation;    a peripheral wall supported on the foundation;    a plurality of vertical stiffeners, the stiffeners being attached to the peripheral wall; and    a horizontal connector connecting the peripheral wall to the foundation and extending between at least a first and a second of the plurality of vertical stiffeners, the horizontal connector operable for load transfer from the peripheral wall to the foundation during single pass sweeping.    
     
     
         2 . The storage container of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal connector is disposed outside the grain bin.  
     
     
         3 . The storage container of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal connector comprises a web attached to the peripheral wall and a flange attached to the foundation.  
     
     
         4 . The storage container of  claim 3 , wherein the web is attached to the peripheral wall with a plurality of wall fasteners between the first and the second vertical stiffeners.  
     
     
         5 . The storage container of  claim 4 , wherein the flange is attached to the foundation with a plurality of base fasteners between the first and the second vertical stiffeners.  
     
     
         6 . The storage container of  claim 5 , wherein the web is attached outside the storage container and the flange is attached inside the storage container.  
     
     
         7 . The storage container of  claim 5 , wherein the web is attached inside the storage container and the flange is attached outside the storage container.  
     
     
         8 . The storage container of  claim 3 , wherein the web is shaped to conform to a portion of the peripheral wall.  
     
     
         9 . The storage of  claim 3 , wherein the flange is shaped to accommodate at least one of the plurality of vertical stiffeners.  
     
     
         10 . The storage container of  claim 3 , wherein the flange includes two end cutouts accommodating portions of the first and the second vertical stiffeners.  
     
     
         11 . The storage container of  claim 10 , wherein the flange includes an intermediate cutout for accommodating a portion of a third vertical stiffener of the plurality of vertical stiffeners.  
     
     
         12 . The storage container of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of vertical stiffeners are structurally sufficient for loads generated by multiple-pass sweeping, but not structurally sufficient for loads generated by single pass sweeping, and the combination of the plurality of vertical stiffeners with the plurality of wall fasteners and the plurality of base fasteners is structurally sufficient for loads generated by single pass sweeping.  
     
     
         13 . The storage container of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vertical stiffeners are structurally sufficient for loads generated by multiple-pass sweeping, but not structurally sufficient for loads generated by single pass sweeping, and the combination of the plurality of vertical stiffeners with the horizontal connector is structurally sufficient for loads generated by single pass sweeping.  
     
     
         14 . The storage container of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal connector is attached about a location of maximum shear load predicted from a starting point of single pass sweeping.  
     
     
         15 . A method of adapting a granular material storage container for single pass sweep, the method comprising: 
 providing the storage container with a primary support structure that is structurally sufficient for forces generated by multiple pass sweeping, but structurally insufficient for forces generated by single pass sweeping; and    providing the storage container with a secondary support structure, which, in combination with the primary support structure, is structurally sufficient for forces generated by single pass sweeping.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a primary support structure comprises attaching a plurality of vertical stiffeners to a peripheral wall of the storage container.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein providing a secondary support structure comprises attaching a horizontal connector to the peripheral wall and to a foundation of the storage container, the horizontal connector extending between at least first and second of the plurality of vertical stiffeners, the horizontal connector operable for load transfer from the peripheral wall to the foundation.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein attaching a horizontal connector comprises attaching a web of the horizontal connector to the peripheral wall and attaching a flange of the horizontal connector to the foundation.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein attaching a web comprises attaching the web with a plurality of wall fasteners.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein attaching a flange comprises attaching the flange with a plurality of base fasteners.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein providing a secondary support structure comprises attaching a plurality of horizontal connectors to the peripheral wall and to a foundation of the storage container, each horizontal connector extending between at least a pair of the plurality of vertical stiffeners, such that the plurality of horizontal connectors surrounds the storage container, each horizontal connector operable for load transfer from the peripheral wall to the foundation.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising attaching the horizontal connectors outside the storage container.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising attaching the horizontal connectors about a location of maximum shear load predicted from a starting point of single pass sweeping.