what is the formula for pressure loading on side walls due to sand?
i have a thin walled rectangular box container that holds loosely packed dry sand. my question is “what is the pressure loading on the side walls?” i know that if the container holds water, then i can apply the pressure load using the equation: pressure = rho x g x h where rho is the density of water, g is the gravity constant, and h is the water depth. but what about sand? to simplify the equation, my four side walls are vertical. thanks in advance for any ideas.
Ray:
If you are talking about loosely packed dry sand, you should be able to treat it like a fluid. At least as a first approximation that would be correct.
I can see circumstances where this might not be the case. If the sand were packed the forces could be higher.
Niel
