page_title: Silo
section_title: Concrete stave silos
hierarchical_section_title: Silo / Types of silos / Tower silo / Concrete stave silos
caption_attribution_description: English: Concrete staves are prefabricated parts of equal strength regardless of silo size. This permits a small silo to have its height increased as the needs and purchasing ability of the farmer change over time. – Additional hoops are added to the existing lower staves to strengthen them against blowout and cracking from internal pressure.
context_page_description: A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store grain or fermented feed known as silage. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use today: tower silos, bunker silos, and bag silos.
context_section_description: Concrete stave silos are constructed from small precast concrete blocks with ridged grooves along each edge that lock them together into a high strength shell. Concrete is much stronger in compression than tension, so the silo is reinforced with steel hoops encircling the tower and compressing the staves into a tight ring. The vertical stacks are held together by intermeshing of the ends of the staves by a short distance around the perimeter of each layer, and hoops which are tightened directly across the stave edges.
  The static pressure of the material inside the silo pressing outward on the staves increases towards the bottom of the silo, so the hoops can be spaced wide apart near the top but become progressively more closely spaced towards the bottom to prevent seams from opening and the contents leaking out.
  Concrete stave silos are built from common components designed for high strength and long life. They have the flexibility to have their height increased according to the needs of the farm and purchasing power of the farmer, or to be completely disassembled and reinstalled somewhere else if no longer needed.
caption: Small stave silos can be expanded upward. More hoops are added to strengthen the lower staves.
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