Steel Silos Research Articles

EVALUATION OF DEFORMATION PARAMETERS OF SILO FOUNDATIONS REINFORCED WITH SOIL-CEMENT ELEMENTS

The mandatory controlled criterion for steel silos is the limitation of foundation settlement and tilting, which is regulated by DBN V.2.6-221:2021. The threshold value of silo settlement is Smax,u = 150 mm. The most economical foundation solution is a large-sized slab on a natural base or a soil cushion. It is possible to stabilise the weak base by reinforcing it with vertical soil-cement elements (SCE). In Ukraine, most foundations have an underground gallery or silo floor. When the silos are first loaded, there is geodetic monitoring of the vertical settlement of the silo base and comparison of its data with the threshold values of settlement and tilting. The objective is to investigate the effect of limited-depth soil reinforcement on the stabilisation of the soil base and the average total foundation settlement. The task of the study is to create a methodology for predicting the impact of reinforcement with soil-cement elements on the parameters of the soil base general stiffness for a silo foundation. The research methods are geodetic monitoring of settlements around the perimeter of silo foundations during initial loading at four different elevators with different geological conditions. Thus, the predicting method of the impact while reinforcing with soil-cement elements on the general stiffness parameters of the soil base for the silo foundation was tested on the bases of silos for four elevators. These elevators represent different engineering and geological conditions. The proof of the methodology’s validity is the coincidence with the results of geodetic subsidence monitoring along the perimeter of silo foundations. According to the research results, it is possible to state that the reinforcement of the foundation base with vertical soil-cement elements allows for the effective stabilisation of soil parameters. We propose an evaluation method of the reinforcement effect with soil-cement elements in the form of the stabilisation coefficient for the soil base, kEi. We further prove the primary role of the soil-cement reinforcing elements operation and their length while stabilising the base. The base stiffness is stabilised at the compressible stratum depth and beyond the foundation boundaries. It is possible to use the method of reinforcement influence evaluation to determine the actual parameters of the stabilised soil base, n, according to geodetic monitoring data. The authors have studied the effect of limited depth reinforcement for stabilising the foundation. The research obtained the empirical dependence of the reinforcement required depth at given depth values for the base compressible layer. The authors proposed using the linearly deformed layer method, considering the operation of soil-cement elements as discrete soil reinforcement. The numerous experiments with the Finite Element Method confirm the high convergence of the calculated results with those obtained analytically. Keywords: foundation settlement, soil-cement element, geodetic monitoring, steel silo, foundation stiffness.

Reasons for Collapse of Steel Silos for Wheat with 1600 M3 Capacity

In 2021, five silos for grain storage were ordered, delivered and mounted for expansion of a warehouse in southern Bulgaria. They were produced of thin-walled galvanized sheets. The sheets were corrugated to prevent local loss of stability. All elements were joined together with bolts to facilitate and speed up the mounting processes. After completion of the mounting works, all five silos were filled up to the roof with grains. Three were filled with wheat, and the remaining two with sunflower seeds. On August 16, 2021, at about 8:30 am, a few minutes after the beginning of the first unloading of one of them, its cylindrical shell had torn, and it collapsed. A team from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG) was invited to inspect the accident site and determine the causes of the collapse. For this purpose, the members of the team carefully inspected the structure of the collapsed silos, tested samples of the used material and made control calculations. Through these activities, they established the most likely causes for steel silos destruction.

The improvement of the slab-ring foundation design with an under-silo gallery of a cylindrical steel silo on the grounds of the computer simulation results and those of field observations

The improvement of the slab-ring foundation design with an under-silo gallery of a cylindrical steel silo on the grounds of the computer simulation results and those of field observations

Probabilistic analysis of elevated steel silos for seismic resistance

Probabilistic analysis of elevated steel silos for seismic resistance

RESULTS OF MONITORING THE SETTLEMENT OF SILO FOUNDATIONS REINFORCED WITH SOIL-CEMENT ELEMENTS

During the first cycle of loading and in the subsequent process of steel silos operation to store grain, special attention goes to the observation of base settlement under silo foundations and their tilting. Traditionally, silo settlement tends to be monitored by geodetic measurements. To analyse the results of monitoring for the silos base settlement, we used the linearity changing of the base stiffness approach. The base stiffness is the ratio of the average pressure p (in kPa) under the foundation sole to the average settlement S (in mm). This approach relies on the following assumption: in the process of silo loading, thus gradually increasing the average pressure under the sole of the foundation, the modulus of deformation of the base soil gradually decreases, and the deformability of the base increases until the stresses in the soil mass under the foundation do not exceed the values of the calculated resistance and the development of plastic deformations begins. For grain storage elevator silos 10.1–10.12 located in the Khmelnytskyi region, we obtained the ratio of the average pressure p (in kPa) under the foundation sole to the average settlement S (in mm) during the geodetic monitoring, and then, we used it to construct the stiffness graphs of the silo base. The base stiffness indicators of silos 10.2 and 10.3 most closely match the calculated base stiffness. The specified values of base stiffness exceeding the measured ones by 3–5% are probably due to the higher calculated mechanical characteristics of the base reinforced with soil-cement elements. The rigidity of the silo base and the average pressure in the base under the foundations calculated based on geodetic measurement data are independent random variables, as evidenced by the graphs of the rigidity of the silo base 10.1–10.12. The study of the correlation between the specified random variables is of practical interest. The obtained value of the sample correlation coefficient r = –0.4687 indicates a negative correlation between the samples of the average pressure p (in kPa) under the foundation sole and the stiffness of the base (p / S, kPa/mm). The existence of negative correlation dependence has a clear physical meaning, such as when the pressure on the base increases, its stiffness decreases while increasing the deformability of the base, as confirmed by the results of silo geodetic monitoring. The calculated stiffness of the base decreases with increasing pressure due to the involvement of a greater depth of the compressible stratum, and, accordingly, the calculated deformability of the base increases. To determine the physical and mechanical properties of the base soil, the generally accepted pressure range during the tests does not exceed 250 kPa. A priori, this pressure range corresponds to the elastic section of the soil deformation diagram and the gradual decrease in mechanical characteristics. The average stresses under the foundations of the studied silos did not exceed 125 kPa. Therefore, the proposed method makes it possible to obtain not only quantitative conclusions – the magnitude of base settlement, but also to analyse qualitative indicators related to the stiffness characteristics (р / S, kPa/mm) of the base and to assess its deformation indicators acceptability. Keywords: foundation settlement, geodetic monitoring, reinforced concrete foundation, steel silo, base stiffness.

Current design of rectangular steel silos: limitations and improvement

This study proposes a modification for the current design approach for square and rectangular silos that accounts for silos’ wall flexibility. First, the authors investigated the effect of wall stiffness symbolized by the wall width-to-thickness ratio (a/t) and silo’s dimensions, on the wall-filling pressure using a recently validated 3D finite element model (FEM). The model was then employed to predict the pressures acting on silos’ walls accounting for the stress state in stored granular materials. Most design formulas and guidelines assume silos’ walls to be rigid. This assumption is acceptable for the case of rigid wall concrete silos; however, it is questionable for semi-rigid, flexible wall metal silos. Consequentially, it is crucial to determine the minimum wall stiffness necessary to secure the applicability of the current design rigid wall assumptions and to propose a way to deal with semi-rigid and flexible walls. To this end, several wall pressure distributions that correspond to filling steel silos with varied wall thicknesses were studied. A new adjustment to the Janssen technique was proposed for a better estimate of the wall-filling pressures for square and rectangular silos. In the case of prismatic silos, the Eurocode uses the Janssen equation together with an equivalent radius of a corresponding circular silo (with the same hydraulic radius) to determine the wall pressure. This method predicts pressure values that are practically accurate for rigid-wall silos, but its accuracy decreases for semi-rigid and flexible-wall silos. As an enhancement, the Janssen equation was modified in this research to generate more accurate pressure estimates based on the equivalent volume concept. The finite element results of several developed models with the same granular material were compared to the estimations of the newly established approach to verify the broad range of its applicability.

Analysis and Design of Steel Cement Storage Silo

Storage is an important aspect of any business. All businesses must store goods and materials safely, especially warehouses, factories, shops, food, agricultural, and construction businesses. Leaving materials exposed reduces their overall quality; hence, certain structures are used to safely retain the materials for further use. These are called storage structures. A silo is a commonly used storage structure for the storage of bulk materials such as grain and cement. This paper deals with the design of a steel silo for the storage of pozzolana cement. A storage silo is essentially made up of a cylinder-shaped wall and a hopper bottom. Steel Silos are gaining more popularity in terms of cement storage usage. A 150-ton capacity steel silo has been designed for a seismic zone-2 [1] location in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India (therefore omitting the inclusion of seismic loads). The preliminary design of the silo structure is carried out with the help of Indian Standard code books. Indian Standard code books such as IS 9178-Parts 1,2 & 3 (1979) were used for the basic design. Other necessary code books were used for load calculations. The plan and elevation of the Silo have been drafted by using AutoCAD. The designed Silo is analysed using STAAD Pro. The pile foundation of the Steel Silo has also been designed and analysed using STAAD Foundation.

Design of ribs strengthening the wall of a steel silo. Mistakes in standard formulas

The buckling resistance of ribs reinforcing walls of steel silos can be assessed by method recommended in PN-EN 1993-4-1:2009/A1-2017-08E. The method is based on an assumption that ribs are columns supported on elastic foundation parameter of which is defined in this Eurocode. In presented short communication Author indicates mistakes present in formulae defining equivalent stiffness K of the silo wall. The indicated errors significantly affect the buckling resistance of the silo wall and translate into the safety of its use

Study of Radial Stiffness of Interaction between Bulk Material and Steel Silo Structure

Large steel silos are typically thin-walled structures, widely used in agriculture and industry to store large quantities of bulk materials. In the presence of steel solids in cylindrical shells the stiffness of the contents has a positive influence on the Silo walls, similar to internal pressure. In order to clarify the influence of the interaction between steel silos and bulk materials, the paper establishes a model for the interaction between steel silos and bulk materials using finite element simulation based on the European steel silo specification, and applies the theoretical analysis of mathematical modelling. The results of the study showed that: Wheat storage material and steel silos interaction stiffness values range from 0.0025 to 0.01 N/mm3 and 0.003 to 0.015 N/mm3; the value of the lateral pressure on the wall of the silo will be reduced as the radial displacement of the wall of the silo wall increases with the movement outwards; and the wheat storage stiffness of this paper was verified by literature test results. Provides a reference for the stability of steel silos containing wheat storage material in realistic situations.

Designing regression approach for mode frequency prediction of empty and filled steel silos

In this study the primary objective is to design prediction model for the free vibration analysis of thin circular cylindrical steel silos having various aspect ratios in empty and varying filled conditions for different types of closures. A finite element method (FEM) is used to carry out the free vibration analysis of steel silos. It is found that the effect of different aspect ratios slender, intermediate slender and squat steel silos is very significant for dynamic response of silo. The silos are considered having open, flat and cone type of closures at its top end. The clamped-free (cantilever) boundary condition is taken for this approach as actual silos are fixed at flat-base. The structural mass of thin cylindrical shell steel silo is made constant for a particular height and diameter. The eigenvalues of the thin cylindrical shell steel silos are extracted by using block Lanczos method. The free vibrations of thin cylindrical shell steel silo with different aspect ratios, radius to thickness ratio are studied. From the present studies it is seen that as aspect ratio increases the fundamental frequency is reduced in empty silo. It is more in the case of squat silo. It can be seen that the fundamental frequency is less in the case of flat closure in all the aspect ratios of the silo. The frequency values are more in the case of cone closure is observed. Also as the mode number increases the modal frequency value increases. Further, as the filling level is increased the modal frequency also increases. Finally, regression approach is adopted for predicting the mode frequency of empty and filled silos for wide range of aspect ratios.

An Automatic Welding Robot for the Roof of Spiral Steel Silo

A spiral steel silo has become the preferred choice for building steel silos because of its short construction period, low cost, and high strength. Owing to the harsh outdoor welding conditions of the spiral steel silo and the high risk of manual welding, in this paper, an automatic welding robot is proposed, and its key technology is studied. The welding process parameters consisted of welding voltage, current, and the distance between the conductive nozzle and the base material, which were determined through experiments. The key technology of seam tracking on the roof of a spiral steel silo was studied. Finally, a weld bead tracking experiment and prototype welding experiment were carried out. The results suggest that the prototype can track the weld bead stably and accurately, and the welding effect can meet welding process requirements when the welding current is 200 A, the voltage is 20 V, and the distance between the welding nozzle and the base material is 12 mm.

Shaking table tests of a full-scale base-isolated flat-bottom steel silo equipped with curved surface slider bearings

This paper presents a series of shaking table tests on a full-scale flat-bottom steel silo filled with soft wheat, under isolated-base conditions. The tested specimen is a 3.64 m-diameter 5.50 m-height corrugated-wall cylindrical silo, representing the smallest manufactured silo available in the catalogue of an Italian commercial silo provider. Curved Surface Slider isolators were introduced between the shaking table and the reinforced-concrete plate, on which the silo was mounted, to realize the isolated configuration where the main results have been investigated and compared with other results for the same silo specimen under fixed-base conditions. A detailed description of the silo components, the filling bulk material properties as well as the test setup is provided, including the full testing protocol. Multiple sensors were used to monitor the dynamic response of the filled silo system, including accelerometers, pressure cells, LVDT displacement transducers. Numerous unidirectional dynamic tests were conducted consisting of random signals, sinusoidal inputs, pulse-like inputs, and both artificial and real earthquake records. The results were processed to evaluate the performance of the isolators and their effectiveness on the silo response in terms of measured accelerations and dynamic overpressures. The efficiency of the isolation on the reduction of both acceleration amplifications over the silo wall height as well as the captured dynamic overpressures were detected in the range 30%–80% depending on the input type and magnitude.

Seismic response and theoretical analysis of grain bulk material-steel silo structure under earthquake action

In order to study the earthquake action of the grain bulk material-steel silo structure, a numerical model of flat-bottom steel silo with the same size as the shaking table test conducted by our research group was established and compared with the experimental results, verifying the rationality and reliability of the numerical simulation method. Subsequently, a refined finite element model (FEM) was established based on an actual flat-bottom steel silo project, analyzing the seismic response of silo models with different grain loading heights, as well as a summary was developed to investigate their dynamic characteristics and seismic responses law. Finally, the calculation formulas for the dynamic response under different loading states of the silo are fitted based on MATLAB software. The results indicate that as the storage material increases, the silo natural frequency demonstrates a decrease in trend and the acceleration response is increased with the increasing of storage load. In addition, the effects of different peak ground accelerations and measurement point heights on the acceleration magnification factor, peak relative displacement, and dynamic lateral pressure all exhibit a linear relationship.

ANALYSIS OF DOMESTIC AND WORLD STANDARDS REGARDING THE CRITERIA OF THE BOUNDARY STATES FOR THE STEEL SILOS FOUNDATIONS

In the process of operation the structures of steel silos undergo various failures associated with natural and climatic loads and influences, the insufficient study of engineering and geological conditions, as well as some errors during operation. Damage to the above-ground structures of steel silos is mainly caused by roof structures and silo shells failures. Whilst operating silos, various types of raw material flow are distinguished during unloading. Possible scenarios of the operating technology violations can lead to deviations from the approved flow regime during unloading and they quite often become factors of an emergency situation. The conditions of loading and operation of silos have been compared pursuant to their presentation in the domestic and the foreign regulatory documents. A significant number of industrial accidents are associated with operation failures of reinforced concrete foundations, their insufficient load-bearing capacity and their deformability. It should be noted that the construction of the foundation affects its "flexibility", which may cause uneven settlement of the foundations and their base. Sometimes this leads to extra-design loads on the upper structure of the silo. In the domestic practice of increased diameters silos construction, the foundations with an underground gallery are the most common. For the construction areas having a high level of groundwater, the foundations with an above-ground under-silo storey are used. For the silos with an above-ground discharge funnel, the type of outflow influences the load pattern of the foundation. Whilst operating normally, the loads are uniform, and when the storage material hangs on the walls, the loads are uneven, which can lead to the destruction of the above-ground structure or a foundation tilting. The type of funnel significantly determines the shape of the outflow, which affects the distribution of internal forces in the silo and the load on the foundation. In this work, a brief analysis of the failure factors of steel silos has been carried out, and a comparative analysis of modern domestic and international design standards has been suggested concerning the criteria for the occurrence of boundary states of steel silos foundations during designing. There has also been analyzed the special operational features taking into account specific technological loads on silo shells and foundations, the certain features of engineering and geological conditions of construction sites. Conclusions have been made that the main criteria for foundations designing and calculating are the deformation criteria for limiting settlement and tilting. It should be noted that the foreign regulations place the issue of limiting maximum settlements within the scope of a designer's competence. Keywords: reinforced concrete foundation, steel silo, failure, boundary state, design norms.

A numerical procedure to estimate seismic fragility of cylindrical ground-supported steel silos containing granular-like material

The paper presents a study on the evaluation of seismic fragility of cylindrical ground-supported steel silos intended for storing solid material. Silos are a key facility in industrial processes. For example, cylindrical steel silos constitute the main structural component for several industrial activities, such as the ones aimed at the production of food and beverage, and seismic actions can cause high economic losses and long functionality interruptions. Thus, the main goal of this paper is to propose a numerical procedure aimed to assess the seismic fragility of different cylindrical steel silos, accounting for varying geometries and service conditions (i.e., filling level of granular-like material), and observing different failure modes. In detail, a set of smooth steel silos was selected, considering different geometrical configurations (i.e., varying from squattest to slenderest structures). Different service conditions were simulated, with the aim to observe the behaviour of empty and filled silos (30%, 60%, and 90% of filling degree with respect to the maximum capacity). For each configuration, a detailed numerical model was developed under proper boundary conditions, adequately simulating the shell structure, the solid material inside, and the interactions between them. After validating the numerical models against existing literature data, three different failure modes were identified and assessed, accounting for the most recurrent post-elastic buckling type (i.e., elephant foot) and considering the possible occurrence of the elastic ones (i.e., diamond or similar shape failures at the middle and top of the structures). Both static and dynamic analyses were performed to identify the most probable failure modes and evaluate the probability of exceeding each one. As the output of the proposed approach, the seismic performance of each silo under a specific limit state was provided in the form of fragility curves. The results highlight some novel aspects, starting from the role that service conditions assume in the silos seismic performance up to the possible differences in terms of failure modes for different silos geometrical structural configurations.

THE FEATURES OF DETERMINATION OF SEISMIC LOADS ON STEEL SILOS WITH A FLAT BOTTOM ACCORDING TO DBN V.2.6-221:2021

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of determination of seismic loads on steel silos with a flat bottom according to newly introduced DBN B.2.6-221:2021, harmonized with the global system of European codification Eurocode. The main focus is on the general methods of specifying seismic action and the principles of schematizing seismic action for analysis silos. The parameters of the acceleration spectra of the horizontal and vertical components of seismic load and their influence on formation of silos reaction in these directions are analyzed. The recommendations are given for accurate evaluations the inertia-stiff characteristics of silos with a flat bottom in height based on the analysis of their design features and physical and mechanical characteristics of the particulate material

DESIGN OF TRANSITION JUNCTIONS OF SILOS’ CONICAL HOPPERS ACCORDING TO EUROPEAN STANDARD EUROCODE

Problem statement. Today, the food security of the world is one of the main issues for the political, economic and scientific community, and the recent crisis with the export of Ukrainian grain only intensifies the urgency of the problem. The important part of this issue is creation of reliable and safe grain storage silos. An analysis of recent accidents in silos, especially with conical hoppers, revealed a range of imperfections in outdated regulatory practices that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet building norm system. A limited list of agricultural crops, ignoring the statistical spread of their physical and mechanical characteristics, not differentiating between the stress-strain state for filling and discharge silos, the absolute absence of guidelines and recommendations for the design of principal connections - this is a far from complete list of shortcomings and omissions of outdated Soviet standards. With the entry into force of the new Ukrainian norm DBN V.2.6-221:2021 “Designs of steel silos with a corrugated wall for grain”, the situation should have changed. Firstly, the new standards take into account the world experience in design, construction and fabrication of silos, and secondly, they have a direct and legitimate reference to the necessary standards of the Eurocode system, in which a modern engineer can find answers to a wide range of practical questions. Unfortunately, the introduction of this, without exaggeration, modern and extremely important standard into construction practice is constantly ignored. On the one hand, this is due to the unwillingness of Ukrainian manufacturers to switch to new European and more rigid requirements for reliability and safety, on the other hand, the fear of Ukrainian engineers in front of the complex and extensive Eurocode standardization system. The purpose of the article (ignoring the financial commercialism of individual silo manufacturers) is explain to domestic designers a few provisions of the new DBN V.2.6-221:2021 related to the design of silos with a conical hopper. In particular, the design of one of the very important units at the point of transition of the cylindrical part of the silo to the conical hopper. Methodology. For this, the general ideology and methodology of the limit state method, implemented in the Eurocode standards through the system of partial reliability factors, as well as classical methods of structural mechanics, which are still not reflected in the system of building regulation of modern Ukraine, are used. Results. As a result, clear recommendations for the design of the transition junction of silos with a conical hopper in accordance with Eurocode and DBN V.2.6-221:2021, as well as clarification of “special” points that are not properly covered in both regulations. Conclusion. The recommendations and explanations given in the article, firstly, accelerate the introduction of the new DBN V.2.6-221:2021 into engineering practice, which is harmonized with the Eurocode system, and secondly, allow to achieve more reliable and safe design solutions in the field of silos fabrication, in thirdly, they deactivate the chronic design fear of Ukrainian engineer before the European school of building standards.

Analysis and Design of Steel Silo using STAAD.ProV8i

Generally silo is a storage structure for heavy bulk materials such as cement coal, wood, food products and saw dust. Its design involves materials, geometry, and structural considerations. This research considered a special structure steel silo treated with myriad conventional and unconventional loading conditions, varied from some tonnes to many of tonnes which findings in uncommon modes of failure. Silo Specifications of 14m height and 3m diameter was designed with section ISMB 300 and ISA 70x70x10mm as per Indian standards. In addition, the plan and section of the silo wad done by the AutoCADD 2018 software. modelling, dynamic analysis and designs were completer in STAAD PRO V8i.Besides, the silo was designed as per Indian standards IS 800.The maximum axial force and shear force of the steel silo were 15.9 KN and 0.037 KN respectively. The aim of this paper was to determined the Plate stress, contour lines, and critical support of the silo, beam end force summary and steel take off of the silo structure.
 Generally silo is a storage structure for heavy bulk materials such as cement coal, wood, food products and saw dust. Its design involves materials, geometry, and structural considerations. This research considered a special structure steel silo treated with myriad conventional and unconventional loading conditions, varied from some tonnes to many of tonnes which findings in uncommon modes of failure. Silo Specifications of 14m height and 3m diameter was designed with section ISMB 300 and ISA 70x70x10mm as per Indian standards. In addition, the plan and section of the silo wad done by the AutoCADD 2018 software. modelling, dynamic analysis and designs were completer in STAAD PRO V8i.Besides, the silo was designed as per Indian standards IS 800.The maximum axial force and shear force of the steel silo were 15.9 KN and 0.037 KN respectively. The aim of this paper was to determined the Plate stress, contour lines, and critical support of the silo, beam end force summary and steel take off of the silo structure.

Control of Stored Agro-Commodity Pests Sitophilus granarius and Callosobruchus chinensis by Nitrogen Hypoxic Atmospheres: Laboratory and Field Validations

Given the complexity of the practical usage of controlled atmospheres for the protection of agro-commodities, several researchers have pointed out that there is not enough robust scientific documentation regarding the usage of inert gases for their widespread practical application. Therefore, this work evaluated various regimes of hypoxic and anoxic nitrogen atmospheres for the control of two key stored-product pests, in laboratory and under field conditions in silos. Sitophilus granarius and Callosobruchus chinensis were selected as the tested species since they are important pests of grain/rice or legumes in Europe and Asia. Under laboratory conditions, we tested nitrogen (N2) concentrations (from 95 to 100%) and exposure times (1–20 days) on the developmental stages of both pest species. In most developmental stages of S. granarius and C. chinensis, the shortest effective exposure was found for nitrogen concentration of 99%. Based on our laboratory tests, validation studies were subsequently carried out in semi-hermetic steel silos (25t) using continuous nitrogen saturation by on-site built swing pressure generators. It was found that a full control of all stages of S. granarius and C. chinensis was achieved in 11 days of nitrogen exposure, using concentrations ranging above 99% and below 100%. Our work shows that hypoxic nitrogen treatment can be effectively achieved in small steel silos under proper technological and environmental conditions.

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis for Pressure on Flexible Wall Silos

A 3D finite element model (FEM) for predicting the distribution of lateral pressure in a square flexible walled steel silo during the filling phase was analyzed in this study. The numerical approach, developed using Abaqus software, predicts the stress state in bulk solids, as well as the pressures exerted on the silo walls. An elasto-plastic model using the Drucker–Prager criterion was employed to simulate the behavior of the granular materials. The FEM simulates the behavior of the bulk solid and its interaction with the silo’s wall and base using a surface-to-surface discretization model. The model’s predictions were validated by previous experimental measurements. The results revealed good agreement between the FEM predictions and the experimental measurements. The research confirms that the lateral pressure distribution is not uniform at any silo level. This highlights the fact that many available theories and current design codes are not accurate for flexible steel walls. As a result of the wall’s deformability, pressure regimes on the silo wall change significantly in the horizontal direction at any level. The results showed that the horizontal variations of lateral pressure change drastically with regard to wall stiffness. The FEM has been used to investigate the effect of critical parameters on wall pressure distribution, such as properties of bulk solids, wall thickness, and silo type, whether deep or flat.