Claims
- 1. An apparatus for converting a conventional tower silo to a bottom unloading sealed silo, said conventional tower silo including an upright side wall having an inside surface surrounding a chamber for storing material, an upper end, and a lower end anchored to the ground, a roof mounted on the upper end of the silo wall covering the upper end of the chamber comprising: air impervious liner means located in said chamber adjacent the inside surface of the side wall, means attaching the liner means to the side wall to hold the liner means in engagement with said inside surface, said linear means having an upper portion of the liner means to the support means, said means attaching the upper portion of the liner means to the support means including yieldable means for biasing the upper portion of the liner means in an upward direction, an inner wall located adjacent the inside of the lower end of the side walls, and floor means engageable with the inner wall at the lower end of the side wall, said floor means having means to accommodate a bottom material unloading machine.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said liner means comprises a plurality of upright liner sheets arranged in side-by-side positions adjacent the inside surface of the side wall, adjacent liner sheets having adjacent longitudinal edges, means securing said adjacent edges together, and said means attaching the liner means to the side wall including means to attach each liner sheet to the side wall.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein: said means attaching each liner sheet to the side wall includes fastening means anchored to the side wall holding the liner sheet in engagement with the inside surface of the side wall.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein: the fastening means include nut and bolt assemblies extended through holes in the side wall.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein: said means attaching each liner sheet to the side wall includes adhesive means attaching the outer side of the liner sheet to the inside surface of the silo wall.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said liner means has a lower portion thereof located between said inner wall and side wall.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said floor means includes a trough extended generally from the central portion of the floor to the side wall for accommodating a material unloading apparatus.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said means to accommodate a bottom material unloading machine includes a trough extended generally from the central portion of the floor to the side wall, said side wall having an opening aligned with the outer end of the trough for accommodating the discharge end of the material unloading machine.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the yieldable means comprises a plurality of springs connected to the support means and the upper portion of the liner means.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein: the support means comprise a plurality of legs having lower ends mounted on the side wall and upper ends located adjacent each other, and means connecting said upper ends of the legs.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein: the yieldable means comprise spring means connected to the leg means and the upper portion of the liner means.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the yieldable means include cable means attached to the upper portion of the liner means and weight means attached to the cable means to pull the upper portion of the liner means in an upward direction.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 12 including: pulley means mounted on the support means, said cable means cooperating with the pulley means to locate the weight means adjacent the outside of the side wall.
- 14. An apparatus for converting a conventional tower silo to a bottom unloading silo, said conventional tower silo including an upright side wall having an inside surface surrounding a chamber for storing material, an upper end, and a lower end anchored to the ground, a roof mounted on the upper end of the silo wall covering the upper end of the chamber comprising: air impervious liner means located in said chamber adjacent the inside surface of the side wall, said liner means having an upper portion located below the roof, support means extended upwardly from the side wall below said roof, means attaching the upper portion of the liner means to the support means, said means attaching the upper portion of the liner means to the support means including means for biasing the upper portion of the liner means in an upward direction, an inner wall located adjacent the inside of the lower end of silo wall, and floor means engageable with said inner wall forming the bottom of said chamber.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 14 including: tubular means attached to the central portion of the upper portion of the liner means, said tubular means providing a passage into the space surrounded by the liner means, said means attaching the upper portion of the liner means to the support including link means connected to the tubular means, said means for biasing the upper portion of the liner means being spaced outwardly from said tubular means.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein: the support means comprises a plurality of legs mounted on the side wall extended over the top of the upper portion of the liner means, and means connecting the link means to each of the legs.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein: the means for biasing the upper portion of the liner means includes weight means and cable means connecting the weight means to said upper portions of the liner means whereby the weight means yieldably holds the upper portion of the liner means.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17 including: pulley means mounted on the legs, said cable means cooperating with the pulley means to locate the weight means adjacent the outside of the side wall.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein: said support means comprise a plurality of legs having lower ends mounted on the side wall and upper ends located adjacent each other, and means connecting said upper ends of the legs, said means attaching the upper portions of the liner means to the support including link means connected to the legs.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein: the means for biasing the upper portion of the liner means in an upward direction includes weight means and cable means connecting the weight means to said upper portion of the liner means whereby the weight means yieldably holds the upper portion of the liner means.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein: the weight means includes a plurality of counterweights located adjacent the outside of the side wall.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 20 including: pulley means mounted on the legs, and cable means cooperating with the pulley means to locate the weight means adjacent the outside of the side wall.
- 23. An apparatus for a conventional tower silo having an upright side wall having an inside surface surrounding a chamber for storing material, an upper end, and a lower end anchored to the ground, a roof mounted on the upper end of the silo wall covering the upper end of the chamber comprising: air impervious liner means located in said chamber adjacent the inside surface of the side wall, said liner means having an upper portion located below the roof, support means extended upwardly from the side wall below said roof, means connecting the upper portion of the liner means to the support means, said means connecting the upper portion of the liner means to the support means includes biasing means to yieldably hold the upper portion of the liner means, and inner wall located adjacent the inside if the lower end of the side wall, and floor means engageable with said inner wall forming the bottom of said chamber.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein: said support means includes a plurality of legs mounted on top of the side wall below the roof, each of said legs having means connected to the biasing means.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein: the biasing means comprises a plurality of coil springs.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein: said liner means has a lower portion thereof located between said inner wall and side wall.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein: said floor means includes a trough extended generally from the central portion of the floor to the side wall for accommodating a material unloading apparatus.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein: the means for biasing the upper portion of the liner means in an upward direction includes weight means and cable means connecting the weight means to said upper portion of the liner means whereby the weight means yieldably holds the upper portion of the liner means.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein: the weight means includes a plurality of counterweights located adjacent the outside of the side wall.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 28 including: pulley means mounted on the legs, said cable means cooperating with the pulley means to locate the weight means adjacent the outside of the side wall.
- 31. A method of converting a conventional tower silo having a side wall with an inside surface surrounding a chamber for accommodating material, a roof mounted on top of the side wall, and a bottom surrounded by a lower portion of the side wall comprising: removing the material from the bottom of the silo, providing an inner wall adjacent the inside of the bottom of the side wall, filling the space surrounded by said inner wall with aggregate, covering the aggregate and inner wall with a concrete floor having a radial trough for accommodating a bottom unloader, providing in the side wall a material exit opening aligned with the trough to accommodate the discharge end of the material unloader, positioning an air impervious liner adjacent the inside surface of the side wall, locating support members under the roof adjacent the top of the side wall, attaching the upper portion of the liner to the support members, and biasing upper portions of the liner in an upward direction with biasing means that attach the upper portions of the liner to the support members.
- 32. The method of claim 30 including: locating the lower portion of the liner between the side wall and inner wall.
- 33. The method of claim 30 including: cleaning the inside surface of the side wall, applying an adhesive to the cleaned inside surface of the side wall, and placing the liner in surface engagement with the adhesive to secure the liner to the side wall.
- 34. The method of claim 30 wherein: the liner is secured to the side wall with fastening means.
- 35. The method of claim 34 including: placing holes in the side wall of the silo, and inserting the fastening means in said holes.
- 36. The method of claim 30 wherein: the liner comprises a plurality of liner sheets having side edges, including locating the liner sheets in upright side-by-side locations adjacent the inside side wall, and securing adjacent side edges of the liner sheets together.
- 37. The method of claim 36 wherein: each liner sheet is secured to the side wall.
- 38. The method of claim 36 wherein: each liner sheet is secured to the inside surface of the side wall with an adhesive.
- 39. The method of claim 36 wherein: each liner sheet is secured to the side wall with fastening means.
- 40. The method of claim 31 wherein: the upper portions of the liner are biased with counterweight means.
- 41. A method of converting a conventional tower silo having a side wall with an inner surface surrounding a chamber for accommodating material, a roof mounted on top of the side wall, and a bottom surrounded by the lower portion of the side wall comprising: adding a floor having means for accommodating a bottom material unloader to the lower end of the chamber, providing in the side wall a material exit opening aligned with the unloader to accommodate the discharge end of the material unloader, positioning an air impervious liner adjacent the inside surface of the side wall thereby surrounding said chamber with said liner, mounting support members on the side wall, attaching an upper portion of the liner to the support members, and biasing upper portions of the liner in an upward direction with biasing means attached to upper portions of the liner and the support members.
- 42. The method of claim 41 including: locating the lower portion of the liner between the side wall and inner wall.
- 43. The method of claim 41 wherein: the upper portions of the liner are biased with counterweight means.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 331,535, filed Dec. 7, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,334.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
331535 |
Dec 1981 |
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