Threaded closures

The transmission of the force applied between the container and closure threads has further implications which depend on both the wall section of the container and the wall sections of the cap (i.e. side walls and top section). In any of these instances the force applied may cause distortion or deflection of the container wall, the cap walls or the top section of the cap. Each in turn may reduce closure efficiency, which in instances may cause total loss of torque, hence a no seal situation may be reached. Examples of this situation are sketched in Figure 11.2. Cap (a) is made from plastic with a very thin wall section, whereas (b) is a much thicker sectioned cap where distortion would be extremely unlikely. 

TYPE OF REMOVABLE END CLOSURE THREADED FLANGED OTHER ... 

Probably the largest compound vessels built were two triple-wall vessels, each having a bore diameter of 782 mm and a length of 3048 mm designed for a pressure of 207 MPa (30,000 psi). These vessels were used by Union Carbide Co. for isostatic compaction unfortunately the first failed at the root of the internal thread of the outer component which was required to withstand the end load (40). A disadvantage of compound shrinkage is that, unless the vessel is sealed under open-end conditions, the end load on the closures has to be resisted by one of the components, which means that the axial stress in that component is high. 

With a batch process, such as hot isostatic compaction (HIP), heat exchange as used in a continuous reactor is not possible, and it is common practice to provide a furnace within the pressure vessel which is thermally insulated to ensure that the temperature of the vessel does not rise above 300°C. Most HIP operations involve gas pressures in the range 70—200 MPa (10—29,000 psi) and temperatures of 1250—2000°C, occasionally 2250°C (74). The pressure vessel may have a bore diameter from 27 to 1524 mm (75) and is nearly always provided with threaded closures sealed with O-rings made of elastomer provided the temperature is low enough. 

One aspect of pressure vessel design which has received considerable attention in recent years is the design of threaded closures where, due to the high stress concentration at the root of the first active thread, a fatigue crack may quickly initiate and propagate in the radial—circumferential plane. Stress intensity factors for this type of crack are difficult to compute (112,113), and more geometries need to be examined before the factors can be used with confidence. 

The development of finite element methods, since the late 1960s, has made possible the exploration of a wide range of variables relevant to the design of screwed plug closures. Work (126,128—132) on the stress at the toot of the first loaded thread, where most failures occur, and the load distribution along the thread length has led to the conclusions that the load carried by the first three threads decreases considerably as the number of active threads increases to 20, and the load carried by the second thread, is approximately 75% of the load on the first thread, f, and that on the third thread, fj, about 60% of f, that on the first thread, regardless of the number of threads. 

Quick Opening Devices. Breech block, tapered or interrupted thread, or pinned closures are often used when an end cover has to be removed quickly, as with some isostatic presses (126,136), or to enable the end cover to be removed easily after the vessel has been heated to high temperatures. 

A spectacular application of the acyloin ester condensation was the preparation of catenaries like 11. These were prepared by a statistical synthesis which means that an acyloin reaction of the diester 10 has been carried out in the presence of an excess of a large ring compound such as 9, with the hope that some diester molecules would be threaded through a ring, and would then undergo ring closure to give the catena compound ... 

Bottle caps made from different plastics are extensively used. Some closures are of the simple cork snap type design, but most are of the screw type. Strong, accurate threads can be molded, which represent undercuts. Simple designs should be used when permitted, such as wide-pitch threads. The thread should be designed to start about 1 /32 in. (0.08 cm) from the end of the face perpendicular to the axis of the thread. It is usually practical to mold up to 32 threads per in. more than this number can give certain molders trouble. 

The acyloin condensation was used in an ingenious manner to prepare the first reported catenane (see p. 113). ° This synthesis of a catenane produced only a small ield and relied on chance for threading the molecules before ring closure. 

Fig. 2.6. The diagram shows the essential features of the PTFE taps, but it is not a representation of any one firm s model. A is2i shaft of PTFE or of some other material covered with PTFE. It is driven by rotating the plastic cap B which engages the screw-thread of the glass moulding C. The seal against the atmosphere is provided by the bulge D. The valve closure at E is the more reliable of the two seals.

The most commonly used types of closures are shown in Fig. 4.3-18 [14], The cover seals (Fig. 4.3-18 A - E) are attached by means of threaded bolts and are used for all diameters and pressure ranges. The bolts are generally tightened hydraulically or pneumatically. It is, however, also possible to pre-stress the bolts longitudinally and then to tighten the nuts. 

Metal roll-on (RO) closures are used mainly on glass bottles, where the neck finish tolerance makes it very difficult to produce a pre-threaded cap that will... 

---