Bringing together the leading European expertise in behaviour and design of silos, this important new book is an essential reference source for all concerned with current problems and developments in silo technology. Silos are used in an enormous range of industries and the handling characteristics of many industrial materials require different approaches for successful, economical installations. For the first time, the many approaches taken by specialists in different fields are brought together in a unified way so that common problems can be addressed. This book is the result of a four-year European project - Concerted Action - Silos - funded under the Brite Euram programme which has involved over 100 expert engineers and researchers from all over Europe, in seven working groups.

An understanding ofthe properties and the handling characteristics of liquids and gases has long been regarded as an essential requirement for most practising engineers. It is therefore not surprising that, over the years, there has been a regular appearance of books dealing with the fundamentals of fluid mechanics, fluid flow, hydraulics and related topics. What is surprising is that there has been no parallel development of the related discipline of Bulk Solids Handling, despite its increasing importance in modern industry across the world. It is only very recently that a structured approach to the teaching, and learning, of the subject has begun to evolve. A reason for the slow emergence of Bulk Solids Handling as an accepted topic of study in academic courses on mechanical, agricultural, chemical, mining and civil engineering is perhaps that the practice is so often taken for granted. Certainly the variety of materials being handled in bulk is almost endless, ranging in size from fine dust to rocks, in value from refuse to gold, and in temperature from deep-frozen peas to near-molten metal.

The engineering design of structures and machines consists often in finding the best solution among a finite number of feasible decisions. This volume comprises problems and solution methods for discrete structural optimization. Exact, approximate and heuristic methods are presented applying deterministic and stochastic approaches.

Thin-walled metal shell structures are highly efficient in their use of material, but they are particularly sensitive to failure by buckiling. Many different forms of buckling can occur for different geometries and different loading conditions. Because this field of knowledge is both complex and industrially important, it is of great interest and c

Storage of Grains and Their Products, Fifth Edition, presents the most authoritative reference on the principles and practices of storing and handling grains and their products. Divided into four main sections, the book covers the range of storage systems available in both the developed and developing world, the practicalities of the design and implementation of grain storage systems, looking in detail at handling, cleaning, drying, aeration, instrumentation amongst other topics, specific threats to stored grains, pulses, oils and pseudocereals from chemicals, rodents, insects and biosecurity, and the economics of grain storage, government regulations and future considerations. Professionals responsible for the storage and handling of grains will find this book a great resource, however, it will also be of interest to academic researchers and postgraduate students in both cereal science and food processing. - Presents an up-to-date, end-to-end overview of the processing and storage of grain and grain related products - Includes eleven new chapters that provide the latest insights into grain storage - Edited by active cereals researchers working in industry, with experts from both academia and industry supplying chapters - Includes essential information on the design and operation of grain facilities - Provides coverage of the preservation of grain quality against specific threats

This work takes a multidisciplinary approach to grain storage research, applying knowledge from the fields of biology, cereal chemistry, economics, engineering, mathematical modelling and toxicology to the study of the complex interactions among physical and biological variables in stored-grain bulks that cause the deterioration of stored grain. Details the prevention and control of pests and contaminants.

Detailing a number of structural analysis problems such as residual welding stresses and distortions and behaviour of thin-walled rods loaded in bending, this text also explores mathematical function minimization methods, expert systems and optimum design of welded box beams.