But on the other hand it seems that their should be some sort of a reduction for the rock friction. If this is the case, do you still see a reduction or not? The structure is not in some sort of dug out tunnel either, so I don't think that the AASHTO specs for buried conduits really applies either. In this case you would not be some distance below the base of the pile. For the typical reclaim bunker, reclaim tunnel, the pile actually would encase the structure. Davis book has a chart in it, but it only gives you a reduction if you are some distance below the base of the pile. I have a question in regards to this post as I have often struggled with these loads and here is my reasoning. RE: Vertical pressure under conical stockpile Vertical pressure variation is parabolic across the radius. Therefore, the maximum pressure at the centre of the base of the pile (x = 0)is:Īnd the minimum effective vertical pressure at the toe of the pile (x = Dc / 2) is: Where x is radial coordinate (metres) and Dc is the container diameter (metres) (i.e. The variation of vertical pressure distribution across the base is given by: use H/3 where H is the height of the cone) (NOTE: Unit WEIGHT in kN/m3 NOT bulk DENSITY in kg/m3!!)Īnd z is measured vertically down from the centroid of the cone (i.e. Where gamma is the unit weight of the bulk material The MEAN vertical pressure on a horizontal plane is given by: Pressures under a simple conical pile should be similar:

Clause 6.2.3 of AS 3774 “Loads on Bulk Solids Containers” gives the following initial vertical pressures for a “Squat” container.

Cone stockpile calculator