Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Grain Elevators or Silos.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 4th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Grain Elevators
or Silos.
I, ERNEST V. JOHNSON, of No. 1429, Michigan Avenue, in the City of Chicago,"
in the County of Cook, in the State of Illinois, United States of America, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of grain elevators.
Heretofore grain elevators, which consist essentially of a series of square bins,
each generally about twelve feet square and eighty or more feet in height and
placed side by side like the cells of a honeycomb so as to mutually support each
other, have usually been built of wood "crib work" as it is commonly called;
that is to say, the walls of the bins are built up of wood by spiking flat on top
of each other planed boards which are ordinarily about two inches in thickness and
eight inches in width, the boards being so laid one on top of each other that
they break joints and alternately cross each other at the corners so as to effectually
tie all the walls and all the bins securely together. The elevating, weighing,
cleaning and other machinery are placed in the cupola or super-structure above
the bins. While this old construction is generally found adequate, owing to
the peculiar strength of the wood board crib work walls of the bins, to resist
the enormous bursting or lateral pressure exerted by the great height of grain
in the bins, when the wood is fresh and sound, still the construction is open
to many serious objections and difficulties. In the first place, the wood crib
work is exceedingly combustible, so much so that whenever a fire breaks out in
a grain elevator it is generally a total loss. The series of high bins with their
dry wood walls, form, in effect, so may highly inflammable flues, and the building
is very high and of such a nature that firemen have little chance to put
a fire out or get access to it. The wood is also quite liable to decay by absorbing
moisture from the grain and other causes, and when the wood thus becomes
weakened by rot it is liable to give way under the great lateral
or bulging pressure to which it is subjected by the grain, especially
when a row or number of bins, filled full of heavy grain, like wheat, happen
to be adjoining to other empty bins so as to receive little compensating support
thereform. It is therefore by no means an unfrequent occurence for grain
elevators to burst, thus entailing very great loss to the building and its contents,
especially when the elevator is located alongside a river or canal on one side.
Another serious trouble arises from the continual shrinkage or compressing
of the wood in these high, solid wood walls, built up by laying planks down
flat one on top of another. And as this shrinkage or compression, which is
continually going on and never ceases, is liable to be different in the different
parts of the building or in the different walls of the series of high bins, it is a
matter of great difficulty to keep the high walls true or plumb, and requires
constant truing up and care. And for this and other reasons the machinery
located in the cupola or super-structure generally requires to be mounted on,

page_text: adjustable bearings, or else to be supported entirely separate from the walls of the
bins by carrying up from the bottom foundation separate posts or supports
through the bins upon which to support the super-structure or cupola; thus
in either case adding materially to the expense. And also, while in this old
construction the wood walls of the bins will act properly to absorb moisture from
the grain and thus diminish the danger of the grain injuriously heating or
sweating and spoiling, difficulty is nevertheless frequently experienced by reason
of the wood walls tainting and injuring the saleability of sound grain by imparting
to it musty or other injurious taints or odours. This is due to the fact that
the wood walls frequently become impregnated with musty odours or taints
by absorption from the grain, in cases where the bin of grain gets to heating or
spoiling, as will always sometimes happen in elevators, due to careless inspection,
improper drying or other causes, and then when good sound grain is afterwards
put into the same bin it becomes tainted and injured from the wood walls which
retain the same.
The object of my invention is to provide a new construction of elevator which
will overcome or obviate all the objections and difficulties experienced in the
old wood board crib work construction, and which will, at the same time, be fire
proof and durable in construction and amply strong to resist any lateral pressure
or other strain to which it may be subjected from the high masses of grain in the
several bins; and which will also, at the same time, operate properly to absorb
any moisture in the grain, so as to decrease its liability to heat or sweat or
spoil, and in which also the cupola or super-structure and machinery therein
may be supported directly upon the walls of the bins, and thus save the expense
of separate posts or supporting framework therefor.
To this end my invention consists in a grain elevator comprising a net work
or series of bins, each of the customary or any desired size or height, the walls
whereof are composed or built up of layers of tile and steel beams, the layers of
steel beams being preferably placed at intervals of about every six feet in height
and being securely united together at the corners of the bins so as to securely tie
and unite together all the bins and all the walls of all the bins, and the layers of
tile filling the intervening spaces between the layers of steel beams, each inter-
vening tile wall between two consecutive layers of beams being composed of
straight or flat arch-shaped tiles so as to resist any lateral, bulging or horizontal
pressure to which they may be subjected by the mass of grain in the high bins.
To increase the arch acting strength of the vertical tile walls, the layers of
steel beams are securely united together by vertical tie rods extending between
and tying together the successive layers of steel beams. The arch acting strength
of the walls against the bulging pressure of the grain is thus, by reason of the
rods, not solely dependent upon the weight of the walls. The tiles are preferably
hollow with their hollows or chambers extending vertically so as to produce air
chambers in the walls of the series of bins. By making the tile hollow their
heat conductivity is materially lessened, which is of great advantage in preventing
the heating or spoiling of the grain in one bin being communicated to the
contiguous bin; and this is also of material advantage in diminishing the weight
of the elevator building as a whole and the necessary strength and expense of
the foundation, which it is always difficult enough to make adequately strong
to support the great load due to the high elevator building and its contents.
As the walls of the bins where the grain comes in contact with the same are of
tile, a material that readily absorbs moisture, there is no danger of the grain
heating or sweating, or spoiling by reason of the tightness or non-absorbent
character of the walls of the bins. By this construction it will be observed that the
horizontal layers of steel beams, extending at intervals of, say, every six feet
in height from the bottom to the top of the bins, and securely united together
at the corners of the bins, afford all the strength that can possibly be required
to resist the enormous lateral or bulging pressure due to the great weight of
the grain in the bins; while the vertical tile walls between the layers of steel

page_text: beams, by reason of their being constructed on the principle of a flat or straight
arch, are adequately strong to resist any lateral strain or bulging pressure from
the grain between the successive layers of steel beams. At the same time, the
walls are moisture absorbent, SO that there is no undue danger of
the grain heating, sweating or spoiling; and the walls are also sub-
stantially as light in weight as the solid wood plank crib work walls hereto
fore in use, and are much superior thereto in non-heat conducting qualities. And
at the same time my composite steel beam and vertical arch tile walls are entirely
fire proof, and also perfectly durable. And, by my new construction, the
difficulties heretofore experienced from the continual shrinkage and compression
of the wood walls of the bins is entirely avoided, and I am enabled to place
the cupola or its super-structure and its machinery directly upon the walls of
my elevator bins.
In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in
which similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures, Fig. 1
is a diagrammatic plan or horizontal section of an elevator embodying my
invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing also by the vertical dotted lines a
vertical section of diagram of the bins; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal
section showing in plan in part the tile layer and in part the steel beam layer
of the walls; Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section showing the steel layers in cross
section and the vertical tile walls in cross section and elevation:;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan showing the union ог tie piece uniting
the layers of steel beams at the corners of the bins ; Fig. 6 is a
section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail showing the
coupling block or casting for connecting the horizontal brace rods to the steel
beams; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is an enlarged
horizontal section of the tile wall; Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail vertical section
of the tile wall.
In the drawing A represents a grain elevator, A¹ the cupola or super-structure
in which the engines and the elevating, weighing, cleaning and other machinery
is placed, and a a the series of square or rectangular bins, and A² the lower
story having the arched openings A³ into which the cars are run. In the
drawing I have indicated the elevator as comprising a series of fifty grain bins,
the same being five bins wide by ten bins long, it will, however, be understood
by those skilled in the art that the elevator may contain any desired number of
bins. And, as my invention relates only to the construction of the grain bins,
it will be unnecessary to show or describe the particular construction of the first
story into which the cars are run or of the cupola or super-structure, or the
elevating, weighing or other machinery contained therein, all of which is well
known to those skilled in the art, and all of which may be, so far as my invention
is concerned, of any desired or suitable construction.
The
The net work of walls of the series of grain bins a a in my invention are
composed of a series of horizontal layers B of steel beams b, preferably I-beams
in cross section, and united together at the corners of the bins by cross-shaped
joint-plates C securely attached to the ends of the beams b by bolts c.
series of horizontal layers B of steel beams 6 are preferably placed, for convenience
of workmen in scaffolding, about six feet apart in height. The vertical wall space
between the successive layers B B of steel beams is filled in by hollow tiles D,
the middle course D', being of a double arch key construction, and the tiles on
each side of the key tile Di having each double arch meeting faces d d', so that
each vertical tile wall between the successive layers of steel beams is a double
flat or straight vertical arch against lateral or horizontal pressure in either
direction against the wall. That is to say, each wall is constructed on the
principle of a vertical arch against lateral pressure from the grain in the bin on
either side of each wall. To increase this vertical arch action of the tile and
the strength of the structure, as a whole, between each successive horizontal
layer of steel beams, I unite the successive layers of steel beams together by

page_text: vertical tie rods F, one of these vertical tie rods being preferably employed at
each corner of each bin and midway of the wall of each bin, as will be readily
understood from Figs. 3 and 4. These tie rods F are provided with nuts f to
bear against the beams b or their joint plates C. The tile D or D¹ are provided
The
with vertical channels or recesses to receive these vertical tie rods F.
cement or mortar at the joints of the tile DD' is indicated in the drawing at d³
To further strengthen the walls of the bin against lateral or bulging pressure of
the grain, I provide the same with brace or tie rods G extending preferably
diagonally from the middle of each of the steel beams 6 in each bin, as will be
readily understood by reference to Figure 3. These horizontal tie or brace
rods G are preferably connected to the beams by coupling blocks H, having
flanges h adapted to be slipped over the flanges 61 of the steel beams 6 before
the beams are laid in the wall, as will be understood by reference to Figs. 7, 8 and 3.
Nuts g secure the horizontal tie or brace rods G to the couplings H. In laying up
the tile walls between the steel beams the hollow or chambers d of the tile extend
vertically and form continuous vertical air spaces which
may, if desired, be
extended through the horizontal webs 62 of the steel beams by punching holes
or openings 64 therein so as thus to form continuous vertical flues in the walls
of the bins. The air spaces or flues in the walls of the bins aid in preventing
conduction of heat through the walls from one bin to another, and also co-operate
with the moisture absorbent function of the tiles in removing moisture from
the grain in the bins, and thus in preventing heating or spoiling thereof.
The upper and lower courses of each horizontal section or layer of tile work D
between the layers of steel beams is preferably composed of special tile D³
having grooves do to receive the flanges 6' of the steel beams band to better protect
the beams from moisture and perfect the fire proof construction.
These specially
grooved tile D2 to fit the steel beams also afford an easy and convenient means for
leveling up the tile or masonry wall to receive the next layer of steel beams,
and also affords a smooth and level course to begin the succeeding layer of tile
work upon.
Instead of employing specially constructed or grooved tile D2 to fit
the steel beams, it will, of course, be understood that other tile may be employed
for the upper and lower courses by cutting them to fit the beams.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
1. A grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of a series of layers of tile work and of steel beams, the steel beams
of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical
walls or layers of tile-work between the layers of steel beams being of a double
vertical arch acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either
direction, substantially as specified.
2. In a grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of a series of layers of tile work and of steel beams, the steel beams
of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical
walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double
vertical arch acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either
direction, and the layer of steel beams being connected together by vertical tie
rods, substantially as specified.
3. In a grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of a series of layers of tile work and of steel beams, the steel beams of
each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical
walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double
vertical arch acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either
direction, the layer of steel beams being connected together by vertical tie rods
and horizontal tie or brace rods, substantially as specified.

page_text: 4. In a grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of a series of layers of tile work and of steel beams, the steel beams
of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical
walls or layers of tile work between the layers of steel beams being of a double
vertical arch acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either
direction, the tiles being hollow with the hollows or chambers thereof extending
vertically, substantially as specified.
5. In a grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of a series of layers of tile work and of steel beams, the steel beams
of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical
walls or layers.of tile work between the layers of steel beams being of a double
vertical arch acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either
direction, the layer of steel beams being connected together by vertical tie rods and
horizontal brace rods, and coupling blocks connecting said horizontal tie rods
with the braces, substantially as specified.
6. A grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of tile work provided at intervals with layers of steel beams and joint
plates at the corners of the bins connecting the beams, substantially as specified.
7. A grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of tile work provided at intervals with layers of steel beams and joint
plates at the corners of the bins connecting the beams, and vertical tie rods
uniting the layers of steel beams, substantially as specified.
8. A grain elevator comprising a series of bins, the walls whereof are composed
of layers of tile work and layers of steel beams, the layers of tile work between
the layers of beams being each composed of a double key course and double
vertical arch acting courses against lateral pressure, substantially as specified.
9. A grain elevator comprising a series of bins, the walls whereof are composed
of layers of tile work and layers of steel beams, the layers of tile work between
the layers of beams being each composed of a double key course and double
vertical arch acting courses against lateral pressure, the upper and lower tile
courses of each layer of tile work being composed of grooved tile D³ fitting said
steel beams, substantially as specified.
10. A grain elevator comprising a series of bins having a net work of walls
composed of a series of layers of tile work and of steel beams, the steel beams
of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical
walls or layers of tile work between the layers of steel beams being of a double
vertical arch acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either
direction, the upper and lower courses of tile of each tile work layer being
provided with grooves ³ to fit the steel beams, substantially as specified.
Illinois December 9th, A.D. 1907.
In the presence of H. M. MUNDAY.
ERNEST V. JOHNSON,
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.