Sewage silo with centripetal action discharge arm

A sewage sludge silo for handling sewage sludge that has a sufficiently high solids content that it has a consistency of a dry cake-like or clay-like texture, the silo having a sidewall, at least a substantial portion of which is generally cylindrical, and a silo floor at the bottom thereof;

• with a central discharge opening in the silo floor for discharge of sludge therethrough;
• with the silo being mounted on a structural floor;
• a rotatable discharge arm adjacent the silo floor and extending radially throughout the length of the discharge arm from the central discharge opening toward the silo wall, with a lower end of the discharge arm being generally parallel to the silo floor;
• the discharge arm being supportably mounted on an arm support extending from a generally radially inner end of the discharge arm through the central discharge opening;
• with a generally radially outermost end of a discharge arm being adjacent the silo wall;
• drive means for rotatably driving the discharge arm in a sweeping forward motion across the silo floor and for enabling the discharge arm to engage the dry cake-like or clay-like sewage sludge and plow the sewage sludge forwardly across the silo floor;
• with the discharge arm being of an arcuate rake-like curved configuration in the direction of its forward motion;
• and with the discharge arm having an upper end and a lower end, with the lower end being adjacent the silo floor;
• with the lower end of the discharge arm extending forward of the upper end of the discharge arm in transverse generally vertical cross-section of the discharge arm.