Smart Forensic Diagnostics of Thin-Walled Steel Silos and Lattice Support Towers Under Extreme Loads

Elevated thin-walled steel storage units, including non-circular silos and cylindrical fluid tanks, are vital components in modern industrial and agricultural logistics. Due to their high radius-to-thickness ratio, these shell structures are exceptionally susceptible to stability failures, most notably localized and global buckling. Historically, forensic investigation of structural failures in these systems has been purely reactive, initiated only after catastrophic collapse.This research proposes a paradigm shift toward "Smart Forensic Diagnostics"—a proactive framework that utilizes structural health monitoring (SHM) and machine learning to analyze the structural vulnerability of the coupled storage-tower system in real-time. By utilizing the exact design baselines derived from Eurocode compliance, this paper maps out how localized sensor nodes can detect mathematical stress anomalies before yielding or buckling thresholds are crossed. By Dr Mohamed Fayez Elnagar PhD Applicant.