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+--- Thread: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics (/showthread.php?tid=5557)
Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - bdw9535 - 11-22-2012
The location is Oakley, KS, 11/20/12. Would never consider this happening when out railfanning.
Bruce
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - Mr Fixit - 11-22-2012
I suspect that this failure of the silo walls was due to "Concrete Cancer", in other words the corrosion of the steel reinforcing bars within the concrete walls due to the repeated wetting of the steel via any cracks or insufficient concrete 'cover' of the steel.
Cold winds following rain wouldnt help either due to the possibility of any moisture penetration freezing and the subsequent expansion causing the concrete to spall away.
It may also be the case that the silos that failed were on the prevailing weather side of the structure and so at greater exposure to its effects.
Reinforced Concrete is a very versatile and strong building method but it does require some care during its construction and occasional ongoing maintenance.
I sure hope that those ethanol tank cars wernt loaded.
Mark
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - jwb - 11-22-2012
The dust in a grain elevator is also explosive. The damage seems like more than just a structural collapse.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - ChuckC - 11-23-2012
Really looks like an explosion then concrete failure. Note the tops of the silo's ( blow up the top and out at the bottom ).
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - Ralph - 11-23-2012
I vote for structrual collapse. I'm not seeing signs of fire damage along the sides of the silos.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - Mike Kieran - 11-23-2012
Besides rebar, a lot of contractors have been cutting corners and using more water in the concrete mixture. I know a building inspector who sees this all the time. If only they had added GERN to the concrete mixture.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - ratled - 11-23-2012
Concrete failure is my guess. It is not a dust explosion - the debris field isn't right. If the blast can break though concrete, it would blast grain all over the place.... this is too neat for that. The walls are truned in, the would have exploded out.
ratled
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - MountainMan - 11-27-2012
I'll go with explosion - nothing else would overturn a string of tank cars in the foreground that are out of the way of merely falling debris. If slabs of concrete fell on any of those cars, they would be crushed, but not flipped over like that.
That silo has blown open, and there is grain all over the place.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - Mike Kieran - 11-27-2012
Those cars look like they were pushed off the tracks. I've seen building collapses where the debris on the bottom gave way because of a combination of weakness and weight. Remember, the bottom of a structure has more weight on it than the top. Picture a human pyramid, the people on the bottom carry more weight than those above them. I say this because the bottom of the silo is blown out, not the top. Also look inside the silo, the area where the silos join in the back are also gone, but the parts left behind do not appear to have blown out.
Of course, the silos may have been only partially full, so the explosion could take place lower. This and factoring in of a not-so-sturdy silo add up to disaster. However, It still appears to be structural weakness.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - Mike Kieran - 11-27-2012
According to the news, it was a collapse. I just Googled Oakley Kansas grain silo and came up with this article http://articles.kwch.com/2012-11-20/grain-elevator_35241673.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - bdw9535 - 11-27-2012
Mike, it was a collaspe but they are still trying to determine what caused it.
Bruce
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - gregamer - 11-27-2012
Interesting that there is only one Grain Hopper in the string of cars.
Re: Grain Elevator Blowout Pics - Mr Fixit - 11-28-2012
gregamer Wrote:Interesting that there is only one Grain Hopper in the string of cars.
That would be because those [thankfully empty] tank cars are part of an ethanol unit train awaiting loading and the grain hopper is acting as the protective barrier car to protect locomotive crews in the event of a hazardous situation.
The weight and momentum of the grain spilling out of the silo was enough to overturn the ethanol tank cars and to separate them.
Had the tank cars had been full of ethanol then the whole situation would have required a HAZMAT Response by local police and fire units due to the fuel spill and the subsequent risk of fire/explosion.
If you look at the top of the silos you will note that the lid on the failed silo is not damaged in any way and there are no signs of fire/combustion.
If there had been a grain dust explosion then as the weakest part of a cylinder the top would have blown up and back first before the sides gave way.
Mark