Design, Implementation and Estiamation of Grand Steel Silos in Afghanistan

Figure 1.19.2: Picture from Swanton wield, Swanton, Vermont, United States of America 1.19.2 Cost Effectiveness Concrete silos may seem cheaper than steel upon initial investment, but a look into the life span of a steel silo will tell a different story. Steel silos can last much longer than concrete without cracking or needing reinforcement. Steel silos also deliver greater storage capacity, giving the user more value for the cost. During the construction of a concrete silo, you may pay more for additional people working on site, longer time frame due to poor weather, and other unfavorable variables you avoid with steel construction. If you’re looking for a silo that can store bulk feed, hay, coal, powder products, food products, or other items safely and securely, steel is the more cost-effective option. 1.19.3 More efficient designs There is only so much silo manufacturers can do with concrete. Concrete does not bend or adapt to changes in pressure like steel. Slip-frame concrete processes are continuous, meaning that rebar placement, timing, and quality of concrete will affect the final product. With steel, a silo can have a smaller diameter, taking up less room and providing greater storage capacity. Concrete silos are only more desirable if there is very limited space. It is easier, faster, and cheaper to build steel silos and install accessories. 87

Figure 1.19.3: World-Grain Silo, United States of America 1.19.4 Better Grain Aeration If you’re storing grains, opt for a steel silo for better content aeration. It is easier and more effective to aerate grains in steel silos compared to concrete. Providing airflow in a tall, concrete silo is unreasonable compared to providing the same for shorter and wider steel silos. Steel silos also do not depend as much on outside temperatures to achieve the proper grain temperature, as lower grain depth leads to lower heat of compression in the aeration system, and thus no need for lower outside temperatures. 1.19.5 Lesser Foundation Constraints Building a concrete silo requires firm, solid soil to support the immense weight of the structure. Steel silos are lighter and more dynamic, and do not need soil to be a strong, stable structure. If you don’t have the load-bearing capacity to support concrete, steel might be your answer. Building a silo is a delicate process that requires special knowledge and tools 1.19.6 Design • The slip frame concrete process is further complicated by the fact it is a dynamic or continuous process. Rebar placement, concrete quality, etc., all affect the final product. Also, field supervision plays a really serious role in concrete silos: more 88

people working on site, longer period of commissioning (due to weather conditions) and, ultimately, higher costs. • Concrete silos can be taller than steel silos but these ones have bigger diameters so the total capacity is much higher. For this reason concrete silos are only more suitable when the space is really limited. • It is easier to erect steel silos and also to install accessories like doors, ladders, samplers, etc. • Steel structure is more flexible, so steel silos have better behavior in case of earthquake. • Regarding airtight, both structures are normally airtight if the openings are properly sealed. 1.20 Overall Comparison We have been using concrete Silos in Afghanistan for over 5 decades. They have perfectly addressed the requirements of that time, however, as the population of the country increases, as well as, more expats start living in our country, the demand for storing grains get higher and higher. RCC Silos have their own benefits which have been proved in our country, however, in this technological era, and the time of modern architecture and design, steel silos better respond to the requirements, budget and climate of our country. 89

CHAPTER 5 BILL OF MATERIAL In this chapter, I have given a detailed bill of quantities including technical specifications and price cost in USD. The prices mentioned in this BOQ are ex-works and do not include transportation and customs, however, do include installation in Kabul. As per my research in Afghanistan Revenue Department, the customs of such equipment are up to 10% of the initial invoiced amount. The equipment comes via sea either through Pakistan or Iran, both, economically reliable. I have compared this price with one of the projects of World Bank. They had estimated a rough amount of 8 million USD for this project. Hence, the cost is admissible. I have received this cost as first quotation without any comments on the specifications or negotiation with the company. The actual cost may decrease dramatically while we comment the specifications as per our requirements and negotiate the prices. I would like to thank my friend Mr. Yaw Ying (Civil Engineer) for helping me in getting this quotation directly from the manufacturer in People’s Republic of China. 90

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CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 1.21 Conclusion A series of conclusions is made based on this study and outlines as follows: 1. Silos are very essential especially for countries like Afghanistan that import most of its flour and wheat from abroad. If we have our own storages, we can be self- sufficient even with the existing agriculture that we have. 2. Steel Silos are more reliable, economic and good looking as compared to RCC Silos. 3. Steel Silos are more efficient and can keep the grains for a longer period as compared to existing Silos. In addition, the EPC duration, cost and effectiveness of steel silos is more as compared to RCC silos. 4. ETABS is found to be an effective, reliable and easy software for the design of all structures. 5. If designed in GB Code, China can be a cheap and reliable supplier of Silo structures and equipment for Afghanistan. 1.22 Recommendations This study offered a lot of important enhancements toward the objectives of the project. However, more knowledge on the behaviour and structural assessment of silo structures is needed. Hence, following recommendations are made. 1. The project has been designed on the basis of GB code. In order to break this limitation, similar projects should be designed based on international codes in order to approach rest of the market. 2. Fumigation is an essential part of the grain storage; hence fumigation plants should be developed in the border of Afghanistan in order to fumigate the trucks as they enter and avoid mixing up with stored grains. 112

REFERENCES 1. Steve Fransen - Oregon State University research 2. CEREO – Washington State University Research on Grain Storage https://cereo.wsu.edu/person/steve-fransen/ 3. Rowe, G.M., G. King, and M. Anderson. The Influence of Binder Rheology on the Cracking of Asphalt Mixes on Airport and Highway Projects. ASTM Journal of Testing and Evaluation, 42(5), 2014. 4. Fire protection code for interior decoration design of buildings National Standard GB50222-2017, 5. Code for Building Ground Design GB50037-2013 6. Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). 7. Verbal information from H.E. Nasir Ahmad Durrani, Ex Minister-MAIL 8. LISI RASKIN, Afghanistan Silo 9. ASCE Library Research on Granular material storage under Dynamic excitation (Year of research 2006, Page 46, 47) 10. University of Notre Dame, Facilities Design and Operations – Standards for Topographic Surveys (March, 2012) 11. Geoscientific Material Testing Laboratory- Geotechnical Investigation Report of surrounding area in Qara Bagh Distric, Kabul (Report of 2019) 12. China National Standards - https://www.gbstandards.org/ 13. Architecture’s Data, Third Edition, Page No. 346 14. Silo Drying System Manufacturer - https://www.silochina.com/sanhe-grain-bin- manufacturer.html 15. Handbook of Structural Steel Connection Design and Details by Akbar R. Tamboli, 3rd Edition, Pages 196 through 201 16. The Engineering Community https://www.theengineeringcommunity.org/e- books/english-books/civil-engineering/steel/ 17. C-Grain, Thailand https://www.cgrain.com/products/grainchillers/model-f450td.html 18. Swanton wield, Swanton, Vermont, United States of America 19. Report of Wanton Wield on comparison of Steel and Concrete Silos (Feb 23, 2017) 20. Research of Sudan University of Science and Technology ‫تحليل و تصميم مواصع الغلال من‬ ‫الدكتور اسلام صالح حيسن المنصور‬ 113

21. Research on Silo Design in University of Costa Rika, United Kingdom by Carlos M. Benaveds (Chapter 3, Design) https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/33361295.pdf 22. State Council of China http://english.www.gov.cn/statecouncil 23. Structural and Foundational Design of Metal Silos, 1st Edition, by J. Michael Rotter 24. Silos: Fundamentals of Theory, Behavior and Design, 1st Edition by C. J. Brown 25. Book: Chinese National Standards English Translation (Page 15, 35, 66, 127) 26. Research: University of New Hampshire by Christopher Daniel Jaqcues (Chapter 4, Pages 121 through 129) 27. Joseph Marinelli (President: Solids Handling Tech- (Flow Problem experienced in improperly designed bins) 28. Mr. Yau Ying – Director Fabrication and Design, Jiangsu Muyang Holding Group, Jiangsu China for pricing and specifications of equipment. 114