Pocket Science: Exploring the 'What,' 'So what' and 'Now what' of Husker research
by Scott Schrage | University Communication and Marketing
Welcome to Pocket Science: a glimpse at recent research from Husker scientists and engineers. For those who want to quickly learn the “What,” “So what” and “Now what” of Husker research.
What?
More than 750,000 steel silos and bins are estimated to pepper rural America, often standing empty before filling up on the annual harvest. The modest cylinders typically feature thin, corrugated walls that belie the importance of storing and drying the grains within.
Some of those silos and bins met their demise on August 10, 2020, when a derecho — a straight-line, long-lived windstorm — sped across a 750-mile-long swath of the Midwest. As it did, the derecho stirred up more than $11 billion in damage and impacted roughly 57 million bushels of stored grain, which is not generally covered by insurance.
The derecho struck especially hard along the Interstate 80 corridor of Iowa. While conducting “structural reconnaissance” in the east-central portion of the Hawkeye State, Nebraska U’s Christine Wittich came across a unique case study: an interconnected group of five grain bins, all empty, that were identical in height and diameter. Four of the bins had been destroyed — roofs ripped off, walls buckled, foundations compromised. The other? Totally intact.
Read more:
https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/gone-with-the-wind-huskers-investigate-mystery-of-last-standing-grain-bin/