Silo container respectively silo construction

Claim 2

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, said cylindrical wall component of said container unit having upper and lower ends, and said rings being respectively situated at the regions of said upper and lower ends of said cylindrical wall component, said cylindrical wall component being composed in its entirety of a flexible fabric sheet material, and said clamping means clamping the latter sheet material to said rings with said sheet material being tensioned between said rings by the action of said clamping means.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 and wherein at least said top and cylindrical wall components of said container unit are prefabricated and in the form of a foldable coated sheet material made up of woven synthetic yarns, and said cylindrical wall component being a seamless tube.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 and wherein said cylindrical wall component has a central axis and includes circumferentially extending yarn surrounding said axis and axially extending yarn interwoven with said circumferentially extending yarn with each axially extending yarn portion extending approximately half way around each intersecting circumferentially extending yarn portion, said circumferentially extending yarn being drawn and being strong enough to withstand the expected silo stresses while providing for the cylindrical wall component a capacity for circumferential elongation which is substantially less than its capacity for axial elongation.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said bottom component of said container unit includes a woven sheet material made of synthetic yarn and having a frustoconical configuration, said supporting rings including a lower supporting ring to which said bottom component is fixed.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said bottom component has a frustoconical configuration and opposed upper and lower ends with said upper end being larger than its lower end, one of said supporting rings being a lower supporting ring to which the larger end of said bottom component is fixed, an inner frusto-conical member surrounded by and spaced from said bottom component to form an annular gap therewith, said inner member having upper and lower ends with said lower end being larger than sAid upper end thereof, and a plurality of radially extending connecting members distributed circumferentially along said gap and fixing said frusto-conical members to each other, said gap forming an annular outlet, a tapered substantially funnel-shaped member fixed to and extending downwardly from the smaller end of said bottom component to receive material flowing through said outlet, and annular valve means situated in the region of said outlet for closing and opening the same.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said top component of said container unit is formed with a central filling opening, and a ring clamped to said top component at said filling opening thereof, said ring being carried by said outer framework.

Claim 8

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, said cylindrical wall component of said unit being composed of said foldable sheet material and having an upper end folded back upon itself to form an annular loop at the upper end of said cylindrical wall component, an elongated elastic body of foldable material situated in the interior of said loop to form an annular yieldable bulging portion at the upper end of said cylindrical wall component, said clamping means including a clamping ring clamping said upper end of said cylindrical wall component to an upper one of said supporting rings, the latter ring forming with said clamping ring a groove which receives said annular bulging portion at the upper end of said cylindrical wall component.

Claim 9

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, said cylindrical wall component of said unit being composed of said foldable sheet material and having an upper end folded back upon itself to form an annular loop at the upper end of said cylindrical wall component, an elongated elastic body of foldable material situated in the interior of said loop to form an annular yieldable bulging portion at the upper end of said cylindrical wall component, said clamping means including a clamping ring clamping said upper end of said cylindrical wall component to an upper one of said supporting rings, the latter ring forming with said clamping ring a groove which receives said annular bulging portion at the upper end of said cylindrical wall component.

Claim 10

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, said supporting rings including a lower supporting ring situated adjacent a lower end of said cylindrical wall component of said unit, said clamping means including a clamping ring clamping said lower end of said cylindrical wall component to said lower supporting ring, and means operatively connected with said clamping ring for shifting the latter.

Claim 11

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, said supporting rings including a lower supporting ring situated adjacent a lower end of said cylindrical wall component of said unit, said clamping means including a clamping ring clamping said lower end of said cylindrical wall component to said lower supporting ring, and means operatively connected with said clamping ring for shifting the latter.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 6 and wherein said cylindrical wall component is made of the foldable sheet material and is folded back upon itself at its lower end to form an annular loop at the lower end of said cylindrical wall component, an elongated body of filler material situated in said loop to provide said cylindrical wall component with an annular bulging portion at its lower end, and the latter bulging portion of said cylindrical wall component being situated between the lower supporting ring and said shiftable clamping ring.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 5 and wherein two rows of screws to connect said upper supporting ring and said clamping ring for clamping said upper end of said cylindrical wall component therebetween, one of said rows being offset with respect to the other, and said cylindrical wall component being composed at least at said upper end thereof which is clamped between said clamping ring and upper supporting ring of a plurality of layers of sheet material with at least one layer of compressible sheet material situated therebetween.

Claim 14

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, one of said supporting rings being a lower ring, said bottom component of said unit being made of a substantially rigid, self-sustaining material and being fixed to said lower supporting ring, said lower supporting ring having a tubular guide portion extending into overlapping relation with respect to a lower end of said cylindrical wall component, said clamping means including a clamping ring clamping said lower end of said cylindrical wall component to said guide portion of said lower ring, and tensioning screws coacting with said clamping ring for adjusting the position thereof along said guide portion of said lower supporting ring for tensioning said cylindrical wall component.

Claim 15

In a silo construction, an outer framework, at least a pair of supporting rings carried by said outer framework, a container unit having top and bottom components and a cylindrical wall component extending therebetween, said unit being composed at least in part of a foldable sheet material, and clamping means clamping said unit to said rings, one of said supporting rings being a lower ring, said bottom component of said unit being made of a substantially rigid, self-sustaining material and being fixed to said lower supporting ring, said lower supporting ring having a tubular guide portion extending into overlapping relation with respect to a lower end of said cylindrical wall component, said clamping means including a clamping ring clamping said lower end of said cylindrical wall component to said guide portion of said lower ring, and tensioning screws coacting with said clamping ring for adjusting the position thereof along said guide portion of said lower supporting ring for tensioning said cylindrical wall component.