Retrofitting of Tanks and Silos

Grain silos are widely used in the agricultural industry. Environmental conditions that may include dry/wet loading cycles lead to corrosion of reinforcing steel and cracking of the concrete walls. Although the cracks can be injected and filled with epoxy, this solution does not address the loss of strength caused by corrosion of steel reinforcement. Attaching steel plates to the outside of the silos results in an unsightly solution that will require maintenance of the steel plates to prevent them from corroding. The connection of the plates at a few discrete points to the silo introduce their own design challenges for proper load transfer.

FRP CTech-LLC^® system offers a great solution for the above conditions. Thin (1.3 mm) layers of FRP can be bonded to the surface of the silo. These layers will transfer the load over a large area, eliminating stress concentration points. The FRP CTech-LLC^® system will also provide an impervious layer that will protect the concrete steel from future corrosion. By using CTech-LLC^® systems repairs can be done internally or externally. One of the important advantages of this technique is Minimal increase in wall thickness (typically 5mm) and it can be done fast and perform during the service. It is also ideal for spot repair of only damaged areas and by acting as moisture-barrier protects the tank against future corrosion. After the installation finishes it can be painted and make it invisible. The high strength-to-weight ratio of the CTech-LLC^® composite systems makes them an ideal alternative to the more cumbersome steel and concrete retrofits and perform:

• Seismic retrofit
• Shear strengthening
• Flexural strengthening
• Confinement
• Repair of corrosion or other structural degradation