# Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis for Pressure on Flexible Wall Silos
## 5 Conclusions  
The purpose of this study is to develop a model that informs the state of wall-filling pressure in square flexible walled silos in terms of various silo dimensions and wall thicknesses to improve the structural efficiency of silos. The finite element model was developed and validated in several vertical sections against the experimental data of [PERSON] and [PERSON] equation results.  
The finite element results confirmed that [PERSON]'s predictions are acceptable for equivalent circular rigid silo cases only because they ignore the effect of wall deformation and the corresponding mechanism. The study demonstrated that the distribution of the lateral wall pressure is not uniform at any level. As a result, another approach for predicting lateral wall pressures in thin flexible walled silos can be applied, where the maximum lateral pressures occur in the rigid corners of the silo and the minimum develops in the flexible midspan of each wall, resulting in diagonal arching stress. The more the wall flexibility increases, the greater the redistribution of pressures from the silo center to its corners. Therefore, this effect must be considered throughout the design process. In a rigid rectangular silo, the opposite effect occurs, with maximum pressure in the center of the wall and minimum pressure at the corners.  
The lateral static wall pressure of a square deep or flat silo can be computed with the guidelines presented in this study. The effect of the silo's slenderness ratio on wall pressure was studied, as well as its impact on the vertical load capacity of a flexible walled silo. The influence of wall thickness on wall pressure was investigated.  
Finally, it was shown that flexible walls behave quite differently from rigid walls and circular and rectangular silos in terms of how pressure is distributed on the walls. As a result, the findings of this study can be used to update silo design guidelines for flexible walled silos in order to develop thinner wall thickness. Furthermore, the model helps structural engineers to determine the changes in pressure along the walls and the influence of wall deformability.  
The finite element model was developed using the bulk solid and steel properties presented in Tables 1 and 2, as well as specific geometry for comparison with the experimental work. Further research might include circular or rectangular silos fitted with hopper bases and various granular materials with moisture content to investigate their influence on filling pressures or deformations of flexible walls.  
Conceptualization, A.H. and A.M.S.; methodology, A.H., A.M.S. and H.A.A.; software, A.H., and A.M.S.; validation, A.M.S., O.M.O.R. and H.A.A.; formal analysis, A.H.; investigation, A.H. and A.M.S.; resources, A.H.; data curation, A.M.S.; writing--original draft preparation, A.H.; writing--review and editing, M.H.A., A.M.S., O.M.O.R. and H.A.A.; visualization, M.H.A. and H.A.A.; supervision, M.H.A., A.M.S., O.M.O.R. and H.A.A.; project administration, A.H. and A.M.S.; funding acquisition, A.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
Not applicable.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.