Western Technologies has designed a system of catwalks to support the transport equipment that is placed on top of the silos. The catwalks are calculated to support, in addition to their own weight, the load transmitted by the transport equipment. Additionally, external factors such as wind, snow and the specific seismic coefficient of each project are also considered.

The standard Western Technology´s catwalks are available in different widths, from 1.2 m to 3.2 m, supplied with a double handrail of 1.1 m height in accordance with European safety standards. The structure of the catwalk is made of “U” profiles of 250 mm and 300 mm width and thickness of 2 mm and 3 mm, depending on the structural requirements. The available floor options are complete, where the area where the conveyor is located is also covered and partially covered with floor only in the access area for maintenance (walkway). The floor can be made of punched sheets or grid, according to customer requirements or local regulations.

The main characteristics of the steel used for its manufacture are S350GD + Z600 in accordance with EN-10346.

If the project demands it, it is possible to manufacture catwalks adapted to high capacity conveyors or belt conveyors with special widths.

The catwalks can be equipped with additional maintenance platforms.

For large silos or very heavy transport equipment, the catwalk is supported on columns or towers, which will be custom designed for each project. The columns transmit the load of the catwalk and transport equipment directly to the ground, without the need to add an additional load to the stiffeners of the silo wall.

Depending on the loads, they will be manufactured from cold-formed pre-galvanised steel or hot-rolled and hot dip galvanised steel, to provide the necessary strength for each case.