GB2185003A

GB2185003A - Bung removal tool

Info

Publication number: GB2185003A
Application number: GB08600113A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Bentley Buckley; Julian Mark Knill Buckley
Original assignee: EUROBUNG Ltd
Current assignee: EUROBUNG Ltd
Priority date: 1986-01-03
Filing date: 1986-01-03
Publication date: 1987-07-08
Also published as: GB8600113D0

Abstract

A tool 14 for removal from a vessel of an expendable bung 1 in the form of a hollow cylinder 2 having an outer end face 3 formed with an access bore 12 comprises a lever 15 having an axially projecting cylindrical end portion 16 of reduced cross-section. The end portion is so dimensioned as to be capable of projecting through the access bore to extend within the hollow cylinder. The surface 17 engages the surface 11, and lateral pressure on lever 15 then causes the tip 19 to engage a step 10 within the bung, thereby facilitating removal. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bung removal tool This invention relates to a tool adapted for the removal of expendable bungs when it is desired to gain access to the interior of a vessel in which the bung is fitted.

Closure bungs are used in many large vessels in which fluids are stored or processed, for example barrels and casks used for alcoholic beverages such as beer or wine. While the barrels or casks may be of comparatively expensive material, such as wood, the closure bungs may be of plastics material snap fitted or screwed into an aperture in the barrel or cask. Such a bung may itself have an access bore fitted with a valve or any other closure means through which the contents of the barrel or cask can be sampled when desired.

A problem arises when greater access to the barrel or cask is desired, for example for complete emptying for cleaning purposes. The bung must then be removed from the barrel or cask and, although the bung itself is expendable, damage to the container itself is highly undesirable.

Previous attempts to remove bungs have relied upon the use of a tool having a substantially cross-shaped appearance, the arms of the cross bearing against the outer face of the bung while the projecting boss of the central stem of the cross engages the outer portion of the access bore of the bung. The bung can be dislodged from its seating only with difficulty by manipulating the stem of the cross.

The extremities of the arms of the cross may damage the barrel or cask and the boss provides only a limited purchase between the bung and the tool, especially if it is not a very good fit in the access bore.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved tool for the removal of such bungs.

According to this invention, we provide a tool, adapted for the removal from a vessel of an expendable bung in the form of a hollow cylinder having an outer end face formed with an access bore, the tool comprising a lever having an axially projecting cylindrical end portion of reduced cross-section, the end portion being dimensioned so as to be capable of projecting through the access bore to extend within the hollow cylinder.

Preferably, the portion of reduced cross-section is separated from the remainder of the lever by a substantially frusto-conical neck portion which may be provided with a ridged surface to facilitate gripping. The hollow cylinder of the bung is conventionally formed with a step on its inner periphery, the portion of the cylinder adjacent the end face having a reduced internal diameter. The complementary tool is, therefore, preferably formed at the extremity of the portion of reduced cross-section with an inturned peripheral step from which extends an outwardly flared frusto-conical tip.

In use, the frusto-conical end tip lodges against the step in the bung as the lever is subjected to lateral movement.

One form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a view of the outer end face of a bung with which the tool of the invention is to be used; Figure 2 is a section on line ll-ll of Fig. 1; and Figure 3 is a side view of a tool according to the invention.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a bung 1 constructed, for example, of plastics, rubber or other suitable comparatively cheap material with sufficient resilience to enable the bung to be inserted by snap fitting into a correspondingly sized aperture in a fluids processing or storage vessel such as a beer barrel or cask. The bung 1 is in the form of a hollow cylinder 2 having an end face 3 which, in use, is positioned on the outside of the vessel. To enable snap fitting, the outer surface of the cylinder 2 is formed with a peripheral tooth 4 having a sloping surface 5, which assists in introducing the bung into the vessel, and a sharp step 6 preventing withdrawal of the bung in normal usage. The inner surface of the cylinder 2 has a portion 8 of reduced diameter adjacent end face 3 and a portion 9 of slightly greater diameter, portions 8 and 9 being joined by a step 10.End face 3 has an inwardly dished portion 11 having a central access bore 12.

Access bore 12 may receive any suitable temporary or permanent closure means or sampling means so that a portion of the contents of the vessel can be withdrawn.

When it is desired to remove the entire bung 1 from the vessel, for example because of wear of the bung or because it is desired to wash out the vessel, use is made of the tool 14 shown in Fig. 3.

Tool 14, of a strong material, usually metal, is in the form of an elongated lever 15 (only a portion of which is shown in Fig. 3) having an axially projecting cylindrical end portion 16 of reduced cross-section, separated from the main portion of lever 15 by a frusto-conical neck 17 having a ridged surface. End portion 16 terminates in an internal step 18 from which outwardly flares frusto-conical end tip 19.

In use, tool 14 is inserted into the bore 12 of bung 1 in the direction shown by arrow 20. Portion 16 is of a length to extend beyond the bore 12 into the interior of cylinder 2. Lateral pressure on lever 15 thus forces tip 1 9 into engagement with the inner surface of the cyliner 2 and, eventually, engaging tip 19 with step 10. At the same time, neck 17 of the tool will engage with dished portion 11, engagement being helped by the ridged surface of neck 17. A combination of lateral pressure and an outwardly directed pull will enable the user to readily break the bung free from the surrounding vessel.

The tool has been described with reference to snap fitted bungs, but could equally well be used with bungs screw-threaded into a vessel.

It will be appreciated that, because portion 16 of tool 14 extends right into the interior of the bung, the tool has a much better purchase than is the case with the cross-shaped tool described above where only a small portion of the tool contacts the access bore. Further, the tool is maintained within the confines of the bung and cannot damage the surrounding vessel.

Claims

1. A bung removal tool, adapted for the removal from a vessel of an expendable bung in the form of a hollow cylinder having an outer end face formed with an access bore, the tool comprising a lever having an axially projecting cylindrical end portion of reduced cross-section, the end portion being dimensioned so as to be capable of projecting through the access bore to extend within the hollow cylinder.

2. A tool according to claim 1, wherein the portion of reduced cross-section is separated from the remainder of the lever by a substantially frusto-conical neck portion.

3. A tool according to claim 2, wherein the frusto-conical neck portion has a ridged surface.

4. A tool according to claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the portion of reduced cross-section terminates in an inturned peripheral step from which extends an outwardly flared substantially frusto-conical tip.

5. A method of removing from a vessel an expendable bung in the form of a hollow cylinder having an outer end face formed with an access bore, comprising providing a tool in accordance with claim 1, inserting the end portion of reduced cross-section through the access bore and exerting leverage on the tool to remove the bung.

6. A method according to claim 5, comprising providing a tool in accordance with claims 2 or 3 and supporting the frusto-conical neck portion within a dished portion surrounding the access bore of the bung while exerting leverage on the tool.

7. A method according to claims 5 or 6, comprising providing a tool in accordance with claim 4 and lodging the frusto-conical tip against a step formed on the inner periphery of the hollow cylinder.

8. A bung removal tool substantially as shown in the accompanying drawing and described herein with reference thereto.

9. A method of removing an expendable bung from a vessel substantially as described herein.