EP0458185B1 - Barrel made from thermoplastic material - Google Patents

Abstract

A barrel of thermoplastic material has at least one connecting portion having an emptying opening and arranged in a trough-like depression in the upper end part of the barrel. In the region of the connecting portion the barrel has at least one inclined surface which extends between the upper end part of the barrel and the side wall of the barrel. The inclined surface is of such a configuration that in a barrel emptying position the emptying opening forms the lowest part of the interior of the barrel to permit at least almost complete emptying of the barrel.

Description

The invention relates to a barrel according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a barrel is subject to certain requirements, of which so far sufficient resistance to external forces, e.g. B. have stood in the foreground by bumps, blows or falling loads in the design of the barrel. Such a barrel is generally provided with circumferential rings which are arranged at a distance from the top or bottom bottom and are used for handling the barrel. Furthermore, it may be necessary to stack several barrels on top of each other so that the top and bottom floors have to have a sufficient and stable footprint. It is known to arrange the upwardly projecting nozzle part, which delimits the emptying opening, within a trough-shaped depression in the top floor. This also ensures that the protruding neck part is largely protected against external forces.

In the course of taking into account the concerns of the environment, the requirement to be able to completely empty such a drum must now be taken into account, in order to prevent residual quantities of the contents remaining in the drum from escaping into the environment in an uncontrolled manner and polluting them.

The known arrangement of the nozzle part within a trough-shaped recess has the disadvantage that on the inside of the barrel, in the inclined position customary for emptying, there are areas next to the trough which in this position lie deeper than that lying on the inner wall deepest area of the discharge opening. It is therefore known to achieve the most complete emptying of a barrel or a similar container to arrange the nozzle part near the wall of the container, so that in the usual inclined position of the container when emptying there are no places on the inside of the latter that are deeper than the deepest area of the generally round drain opening located on the inside of the barrel. This arrangement of the neck part in the immediate vicinity of the barrel wall has the disadvantage that the neck part is little protected against lateral forces acting on the barrel from the outside even when it is arranged in a trough-shaped recess in the top floor. This applies both to forces that act directly on the nozzle part, as well as to stresses acting on the barrel edge or the barrel wall, which, for. B. take effect in a case from a greater height. The deformations of the barrel edge or the barrel wall that occur inevitably also have an effect on the connecting piece part and the area of the upper floor that supports it, as a result of which stress peaks occur in this area, which can lead to the occurrence of cracks and other damage.

These difficulties can be reduced, for example, in that the neck part protrudes to a certain extent into the interior of the barrel. It is thereby achieved that, on the one hand, the upwardly projecting section of the connecting piece can be shorter and, on the other hand, the depth of the trough receiving the connecting piece can be reduced and thus the area of action for external forces is reduced. The inward-facing section of the neck part must be made long enough to give a sealing plug which is screwed into the neck part provided with a corresponding internal thread, a sufficiently firm fit. However, that portion of the neck part that protrudes into the interior of the barrel is on the inside a shield of the emptying opening, so that one of the axial extent of this portion dependent amount of filling remains in the barrel. A complete or almost complete emptying of a barrel with a nozzle part designed in this way is not possible.

It is known from EP-A-0291695 to provide a barrel with a neck part, the portion of which protrudes into the interior of the barrel has openings which extend as far as the inner boundary wall of the trough-shaped depression. In this way, the remaining filling material can flow in the direction of the emptying opening without the section pointing inwards being a shield for the emptying opening. Such nozzle parts must, however, be attached to the finished containers as separate elements, so that the connection point may possibly lead to a weak point arises that could be destroyed by greater external forces. Furthermore, the formation of the nozzle part requires an increased manufacturing effort, which can affect the economy of the barrels generally manufactured in large numbers. In addition, in this embodiment of the barrel, the trough-shaped depression is designed to achieve as complete a drainage as possible in such a way that the surface of the upper floor serving as a standing surface is reduced.

Furthermore, from DE-U-9001802.8 and WO 91/12179 published on August 22, 1991, a barrel as described in the preamble of claim 1 is known, which in its emptying position has an area between the neck and the wall of the barrel which is lower than the deepest point of the inside boundary of the opening in the nozzle. In this version there are pockets in which residual quantities of the contents remain during the emptying process. This known barrel can also be provided on the inside with a groove which is arranged at an incline and is intended to serve for better emptying. However, the presence of this channel does not change the fact that the bottom of the trough-shaped depression located on both sides of the channel is flat in the normal position and runs horizontally.

The invention has for its object to design a barrel or a container of the type described in the introduction so that it or he can be emptied at least approximately completely. The production should be uncomplicated and the handling of the container should be simple when emptying. Since containers of this type are mostly designed as a barrel, the following is mainly referred to as a barrel, without any restriction being connected therewith.

As a solution, the invention proposes a barrel according to claim 1. The course of the sloping surface that cuts the trough-shaped depression of the top floor between the connecting piece part and the ring corresponds, depending on the design of the barrel section, approximately to an oblique cutting surface in the case of a cylinder or cone. The inclined surface is expediently to be designed or arranged symmetrically to the emptying opening.

In one embodiment, the inclined surface is flat. Such a configuration, however, requires exact compliance with the angular position of the barrel when emptying both with respect to the tilting axis and with respect to twisting, e.g. around the main axial axis of the barrel. In order to prevent the contents from collecting in the barrel next to the emptying opening when the barrel is slightly rotated, it is expedient to divide the inclined surface into two partial surfaces, which are arranged slightly pivoted with respect to a dividing line running radially to the barrel cross section, so that they are on the Include an angle on the inside of the barrel that is slightly less than 180 °. This ensures that an almost complete emptying is possible even with slight twisting, since the deepest area of the emptying opening is in the channel formed by the two partial surfaces.

It can also be advantageous to subdivide the inclined surface into two partial surfaces, which are arranged slightly pivoted with respect to a chord which runs through the deepest region of the emptying opening, so that they enclose an angle on the inside of the barrel which is somewhat smaller than Is 180 °. So that the barrel can almost be completely emptied if the tipping position deviates slightly from the optimal emptying position.

Accordingly, it is of course also possible to subdivide the inclined surface such that the two partial surfaces, which are arranged slightly pivoted with respect to an approximately radial dividing line, are each additionally subdivided into two partial surfaces, which are arranged slightly pivoted with respect to the above-mentioned chord. The inclined surface is therefore composed of four sub-areas that form a funnel-like pyramid, the lowest point of which corresponds to the lowest area of the emptying opening. It is thus possible that the barrel can be at least almost completely emptied from its optimal emptying position even if the barrel is rotated or pivoted slightly.

In any case, the barrel can be brought into an optimal emptying position in which it can be emptied without additional measures, apart from, of course, those components which adhere to the barrel wall.

Furthermore, it may be expedient that the inclined surface is provided with a groove-like depression which extends radially to the emptying opening and which opens into the emptying opening, which can likewise simplify the emptying process.

It is also expedient to design the inclined surface so that the latter merges directly into the side wall and the top of the barrel without leaving a shoulder, thereby avoiding hollows or pockets within which contents can otherwise collect.

Of course, it is also possible to make the inclined surface or also the partial surfaces described above slightly convex on the inside, the apex line or apex lines the area (s) corresponds to the above-mentioned dividing lines.

In general, the inclined surface will be designed so that its apex lying on the outer wall of the barrel is arranged near the ring used for handling and the surface extends next to the emptying opening up to the corresponding, if necessary conical side wall of the upper barrel section when the barrel is upright . In order to achieve a favorable angle of inclination, it may be necessary to arrange the ring used for handling at a greater distance from the top floor than is generally the case. However, this does not affect the handling. Furthermore, with two opposing openings, each such opening can be assigned to each opening.

Due to the design of the barrel according to the invention, it is possible that the barrel can be emptied without any problems whatsoever, and at the same time it can be arranged on the top floor at a distance from the side wall of the barrel to protect it from damage.

The arrangement of an inclined surface in the region of the barrel section between the top shelf and the handling ring also has the consequence that, on the one hand, the footprint of the top shelf is reduced and, on the other hand, the section of the connecting piece protruding relative to the barrel contour is little protected.

The invention therefore further provides the possibility of providing at least one supplementary body which is designed and arranged on the inclined surface in such a way that it at least approximately compensates for the reduction in the essentially horizontal standing surface caused by the inclined surface. On the other hand, it can advantageously also be designed in such a way that it largely protects the connecting piece from external forces at the same time.

The supplementary body is advantageously designed in accordance with the invention in such a way that its lower surface corresponds to the upper contour of the inclined surface, while the upper surface of the supplementary body in its effective position runs essentially horizontally and in alignment with the surface of the upper floor serving as a standing surface. It is possible for the supplementary body to have a plurality of vertical ribs or a vertically arranged lattice structure, the upper boundary of which is aligned with the horizontal surface of the upper floor serving as a standing surface.

The supplementary body can e.g. be produced by injection molding or blow molding or in some other way and be hollow or solid. So that the supplementary part can absorb the necessary loads, it is advisable to glue or weld it to the barrel. Since such a barrel is generally produced by means of blow molding, in which an essentially tubular preform is expanded under internal pressure in a divided blow mold which delimits a mold cavity, it may be expedient to insert the supplementary body into the blow mold before the expansion process. This allows a particularly good adaptation of the lower side of the supplementary body to the outer contour of the inclined surface. If the supplementary body and barrel also consist of plastics that can be welded together, a particularly durable connection of the two parts can be brought about in this way.

Fig. 1

die Seitenansicht eines Fasses gemäß der Erfindung,

Fig. 2

die dazugehörige Draufsicht,

Fig. 3

die Frontansicht in Richtung des Pfeils III der Fig. 1,

Fig. 4

die Innenansicht eines Fasses gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform,

Fig. 5 a-c

das Faß in drei aufeinanderfolgenden Positionen der Entleerung , teilweise im Schnitt,

Fig. 6

einen Schnitt entsprechend der Linie VI-VI der Fig. 5b,

Fig. 7

eine Ausführungsform eines Fasses mit Ergänzungskörpern und

Fig. 8

eine andere Ausführungsform des Ergänzungskörpers.

The drawing shows a currently preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the same reference numbers being used in the individual figures to denote the same parts. Show it:

Fig. 1

the side view of a barrel according to the invention,

Fig. 2

the associated top view,

Fig. 3

the front view in the direction of arrow III of FIG. 1,

Fig. 4

the inside view of a barrel according to another embodiment,

Fig. 5 ac

the barrel in three consecutive positions of emptying, partly in section,

Fig. 6

a section along the line VI-VI of Fig. 5b,

Fig. 7

an embodiment of a barrel with supplementary bodies and

Fig. 8

another embodiment of the supplementary body.

The barrel 1 shown in the drawing has a barrel body 10, an upper floor 3 and a lower floor, not shown. A circumferential ring 9 is arranged at a distance from the upper floor 3, on which handling means can act. The upper floor 3 is provided on two opposite sides, each with a trough-shaped depression 5, within which a nozzle part 7 is arranged, which has an emptying opening 6. The barrel shown in the drawing has two such arrangements, the emptying openings have different diameters. Of course, the nozzle parts can also have the same dimensions. Such an arrangement can also be provided only on one side.

In the area of the nozzle part 7, the conical barrel section 4 between the top 3 and the circumferential handling ring 9 has an inclined surface 11 which extends approximately up to the ring 9. As shown in Fig. 1, the inclination and the extent of this surface 11 are chosen so that the latter adjoins the area 16 of the emptying opening 6, which in the emptying position represents the deepest area of the emptying opening 6 on the inner wall of the barrel. The inclination of the inclined surface 11 depends, among other things, on the distance between the side 15 of the nozzle part facing the outer wall of the barrel 7 from the outer wall and the distance of the circumferential handling ring 9 from the top floor 3. The inclination can be approximately 45 °, for example. The areas 13 and 14 of the inclined surface 11, which run next to the trough-shaped recess 5, extend to the boundary wall of the upper barrel section 4. In a conventional barrel, as shown in the drawing, the barrel section 4 is conical, since this is for the engagement of the handling means is cheap with the handling ring. But it is possible that this barrel section has approximately vertical side walls and thus has a substantially cylindrical shape.

The geometric definitions listed in the description are only intended to provide a better description of the geometric shape. In any case, such a barrel does not exactly correspond to the geometric shapes mentioned, since during cooling after the manufacturing process it e.g. through blow molding, experiences deformations that are not predictable and not strictly geometric.

Fig. 5 ac represent the emptying process at different inclination positions of the barrel. It can be seen that an optimal emptying position (Fig. 5b) can be found by the arrangement of the inclined surface 11 in the barrel area 4, in which there is no place inside the barrel which is lower than the deepest region 16 of the emptying opening 6 lying on the inner wall of the barrel.

In Fig. 4 it is clear that a slightly pivoted arrangement of the sub-areas 13 and 14 around an approximately radially extending dividing line 17 (Fig. 7) inwardly an almost complete emptying of the barrel will be possible even if the barrel is so twisted that the dividing line 17 no longer runs through the lowest point on the inside of the barrel wall in the tilted position.

6 also shows a radially running, groove-like depression 31 of the inclined surface 11, which extends from the wall of the barrel to the emptying opening 6. This can simplify the emptying process.

It can be seen in particular from FIG. 5b that the sub-areas 13, 14 are subdivided into two further sub-areas, which are slightly pivoted with respect to the chord 18 (FIG. 7), which at least approximately runs through the point closest to the outer wall are a further simplification of the emptying process can be achieved. With at least a portion of its circumference lying on the inside of the barrel wall, the emptying opening represents the deepest area in the emptying position even if the barrel deviates slightly from the optimal emptying position (FIG. 5b) with respect to the tilting position. It is of course also possible to subdivide the inclined surface 11 only with respect to the chord 18.

The maximum permissible extent of the deviations from the optimal emptying position both with regard to the tilting position and with respect to rotation is reached in any case when one of the partial surfaces assumes a horizontal position and, in the event of a further deviation, the emptying opening does not have the deepest part with its circumference lying on the inner wall Area of the barrel forms.

To protect the laterally exposed connecting piece 7, supplementary bodies 21, 22 are provided which are fastened to the inclined surface 11 by gluing or welding. The lower sides 23, 24 of the supplementary bodies 21, 22 facing the inclined surface 11 are designed such that they essentially correspond to the contour of the partial surfaces 13, 14. The height of the supplementary bodies 21, 22 and the inclination of the lower sides 23, 24 are dimensioned such that the upper sides 25, 26 of the supplementary bodies in their position connected to the barrel upright barrel run horizontally and complete the horizontal base of the top 3. Another supplementary body 29 is shown in FIG. 8, which is formed in one piece.

The invention is applicable regardless of how the barrel is made. It is possible to manufacture the barrel by extrusion blow molding, the emptying opening (s) being in the parting plane of the blow mold and thus in the weld seam 32 of the top floor, through which the preform from which the barrel has been blown can be welded was locked. However, it is also possible to have at least one opening outside of the weld seam opposite z. B. offset by 90 °.

Otherwise, reference is also made to the attached drawing to clarify the design of the top of the barrel according to the invention.

Claims (21)

1. A barrel of thermoplastic material which at its upper end part (3) has at least one connecting portion (7) with an emptying opening (6), the connecting portion being arranged in a trough-like depression (5) in the upper end part (3), which barrel is provided with at least one ring (9) extending at a spacing from the upper end part for the engagement of handling means, wherein the barrel portion between the upper end part (3) and the ring (9) is provided in the region of the at least one emptying opening (6) with at least one inclined surface (11) which when the barrel is standing upright is inclined towards the ring (9), characterized in that the inclined surface (11) extends over the trough-like depression (5) to the wall of the barrel and its extent between the connecting portion and the wall and laterally beside the trough-like depression (5) is so selected that in an emptying position of the barrel in which it is inclined through are than 90° relative to the upright position no location in the interior of the barrel is lower than the lowest region (16) of the emptying opening, which is on the inside wall of the barrel.
2. A barrel according to claim 1 characterized in that the line of intersection between the inclined surface (11) and the trough-like depression (5) extends approximately tangentially relative to the point (16) of the emptying opening (6), which is towards the inclined surface (11), or close to said point.
3. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the inclined surface (11) is arranged to extend substantially symmetrically with respect to the emptying opening (6).
4. A barrel according to claim 1 characterized in that the inclined surface (11) goes directly into the side wall of the barrel portion (4) which is disposed above the ring (9) when the barrel is in an upright position.
5. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the inclined surface (11) is substantially flat.
6. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the inclined surface (11) is divided into two surface portions (13, 14) and the dividing line (17) extends at least approximately radially relative to the barrel cross-section and relative to the emptying opening and the two surface portions are arranged turned slightly about said dividing line in such a way that on the inside they include an angle which is slightly less than 180°.
7. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the inclined surface (11) is divided into two surface portions and the dividing line approximately corresponds to a chord (18) extending through the lowest region of the emptying opening and the two surface portions are arranged turned slightly about said dividing line in such a way that on the inside they include an angle which is slightly less than 180°.
8. A barrel according to claim 1, claim 6 and claim 7 characterised in that the inclined surface (11) is divided both along the radial dividing line (17) and also along the chord (18) through the lowest region of the emptying opening and the surfaces are each at an angle relative to each other on the inside, which is less than 180°.
9. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that disposed on the inner surface (2) of the inclined surface (11) in the region between the side wall and the emptying opening is a channel-like depression (31) which extends approximately radially with respect to the barrel cross-section and with respect to the emptying opening.
10. A barrel according to claim 9 characterised in that the channel (31) opens into the emptying opening (6).
11. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the inclined surface (11) is of a slightly convexly curved configuration on the inside.
12. A barrel according to claim 1, claim 6, claim 7 or claim 8 characterised in that the surface portions are of a slightly convex configuration on the inside.
13. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the apex point (33) of the inclined surface, which is on the wall of the barrel, is arranged adjacent the ring (9) which serves for handling.
14. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that such an inclined surface is associated with each opening in the barrel which is suitable for the emptying operation.
15. A barrel according to claim 1 characterised in that the reduction in the size of the surface of the upper end part (3), which surface extends substantially horizontally when the barrel is standing upright, said reduction being produced by the shape of the barrel which promotes emptying thereof as completely as possible, is at least partially compensated by at least one supplemental body (21, 22, 29) which is connected to the barrel, wherein a boundary surface (25, 26, 30) of the supplemental body is aligned with the surface of the upper end part (3).
16. A barrel according to claim 15 characterised in that the supplemental body is of a hollow configuration.
17. A barrel according to claim 15 characterised in that the supplemental body is in the form of a blow-moulded component.
18. A barrel according to claim 15 characterised in that the supplemental body is in the form of an injection-moulded component.
19. A barrel according to claim 15 characterised in that the surface of the supplemental body which is aligned with the surface of the upper end part comprises surface portions which are formed by ribs connected to the supplemental body.
20. A barrel according to claim 15 characterised in that the supplemental body is glued to the barrel.
21. A barrel according to claim 12 characterised in that the supplemental body is welded to the barrel.

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