Agricultural Engineering / Janssen Bin Pressure
FREE TO EXPLORE
LABORATORY 29 · AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

Janssen Deep-Bin Grain Pressure Distribution & Wall Friction

Measure vertical and lateral static grain pressures in a deep storage silo as a function of depth and validate Janssen's bin pressure theory. Explore interactive farm machinery simulation, irrigation hydraulics, and agricultural engineering telemetry.

FARM MACHINERY · SOIL & WATER · POST-HARVEST · STRUCTURES

Your virtual agricultural engineering laboratory.

LATERAL WALL PRESSURE L—
FIELD & TEST CELL TELEMETRY

Ready to sample with Depth z = 3.0 m.

3.0 m
Stored crop: Hard red winter wheat

Adjust Depth z, then execute agricultural trial.

Agricultural engineering telemetry and biosystems states are evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity agricultural and environmental modeling.

Agricultural assumptions and boundary condition limits

The linear model represents the initial pre-asymptotic depth regime (z ≤ 6.0 m) for the 1.2 m diameter test bin. Evaluated on hard red winter wheat (bulk density 785 kg/m³, internal friction angle 27°) in a cylindrical smooth-galvanized steel bin of hydraulic radius R = 0.50 m. Linearized lateral pressure gradient is determined across depth intervals up to 6.0 m before asymptotic saturation dominates.

Agricultural apparatus & field instrumentation sensors.

Instrumented Cylindrical Silo Model

Provides a rigid vertical storage bin (diameter 1.2 m, height 7.0 m) fabricated with galvanized structural steel rings.

Flush Diaphragm Pressure Transducers

Measures lateral static grain pressure normal to the bin wall at 1.0-meter vertical intervals without disturbing grain flow.

Base Support Load Cells

Quantifies the total vertical floor reaction to determine the fraction of grain weight supported by bottom versus perimeter walls.

Wheat Grain Elevator & Distributor

Fills the silo uniformly along the central vertical axis to establish axisymmetric grain packing and prevent eccentric loading.

Multi-Channel Bridge Telemetry Unit

Samples strain and piezoresistive pressure voltages with 24-bit resolution and temperature compensation.

Grain Sampling Tripper

Extracts grain samples at varying depths to verify uniform packing bulk density and moisture content.

FOLLOW THE METHOD

A reason behind every step.

Measure vertical and lateral static grain pressures in a deep storage silo as a function of depth and validate Janssen's bin pressure theory. Standardized parameter settings: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 m.

01

Zero-Load Transducer Calibration

Inspect all wall-mounted pressure transducers, balance Wheatstone bridge circuits, and log baseline zero offsets before grain loading begins.

02

Axial Central Filling

Operate the bucket elevator and overhead distributor spout to deliver hard red winter wheat down the centerline, minimizing grain trajectory kinetic energy.

03

Depth Increment Stabilization

Pause grain loading at 1.0-meter fill depth increments (from 1.0 m to 6.0 m), allowing grain packing settlement for 15 minutes before reading telemetry.

04

Lateral Wall Pressure Acquisition

Record lateral wall pressures at all submerged transducer heights and compute average wall pressure at each surveyed depth level.

05

Vertical Floor Load Logging

Measure total floor load cell reaction and compare with total mass of grain ensiled to calculate percentage wall friction support.

06

Regression and Gradient Evaluation

Plot lateral wall pressure L versus grain fill depth z, performing least-squares linear regression to extract the lateral pressure gradient k_L.

YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS

Turn measurements into agricultural engineering insight.

See a complete example report ↗

Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Janssen Bin Pressure mathematical scaling.

LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
L = k_L · z = 2.4500 · z
#Grain Depth z (m)Lateral Wall Pressure L (kPa)Grain depth z (m)Lateral pressure L (kPa)Remove

No readings yet. Execute an agricultural trial and record it.

Calculate it yourself.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Explain what the agricultural metrics mean.

Who derived the fundamental mathematical theory describing grain pressures in deep storage bins?

What happens to vertical grain pressure at very large depths in a deep silo?

For a circular silo of internal diameter D, what is the hydraulic radius R?

If measured lateral pressure is 7.35 kPa at a depth of 3.0 m, what is the lateral pressure gradient?