Experimental study of lateral pressure produced by grass silage on silo walls

An experiment to obtain lateral wall pressures in a large above-ground horizontal silage silo was carried out on Banjiehe Dairy Farm, Dairy Breeding Center of Beijing Sanyuan Luhe. Lateral wall pressures were measured with nine pressure sensors mounted on the wall of the experimental silo which was filled with whole-plant corn silage. Results from the experiment showed that during experimental period, the average values of lateral pressures measured increased apparently from the depth of 0.65 m to 1.37 m. Otherwise, it increased slowly from the depth of 1.37 m to 2.05 m. It is found that the lateral wall pressures increased when the distance between the wheel of the bulldozer and the vertical wall decreased. The lateral wall pressures increased as compaction had no correlations with depth.