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Youblob · CC0
55-Gallon Open-Head Steel Drum to ICC Specification 17H (1964)
The open-top 55-gallon (208-litre) steel drum, built to the rule US railways and shippers used for single-trip removable-head drums: welded low-carbon steel body, three rolled hoops, a crowned bottom, and a lid clamped by a bolted ring over a gasket.
Source: ICC Specification 17H, 49 CFR 78.118, Federal Register, 29 December 1964. The spec does not say how the bottom is joined. The litre figure, the gasket rubber and the machines are ours. Picture drawn by Youblob.
Advanced
Production line
Instructions
1
1
Cut low-carbon steel sheets
Cut low-carbon steel sheets
Use low-carbon steel for body and heads. For a 55-gallon drum: body 18 gauge, bottom head 18 gauge, removable head 14 gauge (16 gauge if the cover has one or more corrugations near its edge). 18 gauge is 0.0478 in nominal and at least 0.0428 in; 14 gauge 0.0747 in and at least 0.0677 in, measured at least 3/8 in from an edge.
Materials for this step:
Mild Steel Sheet1 body, bottom and lid sheetsTools needed:
Heavy-duty Metal Shears
Micrometer2
2
Roll and weld the body
Roll and weld the body
Roll the body sheet into a cylinder and weld the seam. The body seam must be welded.
Tools needed:
Plate Bending Rolls
Tube Seam Welder3
3
Roll in three hoops
Roll in three hoops
Roll or swage three hoops into the body, one of them near the top curl.
Tools needed:
Beading Rolls4
4
Press crowned heads
Press crowned heads
Press the bottom head crowned (convex) by at least 3/8 in, not standing out beyond the level of the chime, and fit it to the body. The spec does not say how the bottom is joined.
Tools needed:
Stamping Press5
5
Make the bolted ring and gasket
Make the bolted ring and gasket
Make the closing ring from 12-gauge steel with drop-forged lugs, one of them threaded, and a 5/8 in bolt and nut (for drums over 30 gallons). Fit a gasket under the lid: gaskets are required.
Materials for this step:
Mild Steel Sheet1 12-gauge strip for the ring
Mild Steel Round Bar1 for the lugs
Hex Bolt Assortment1 5/8 in bolt
Hex Nut1 5/8 in
Rubber Sheet1 gasketTools needed:
Plate Bending Rolls
Drop Hammer with Forging Dies
Craft Knife6
6
Check capacity and mark
Check capacity and mark
The drum must hold at least 4 % more than its marked 55 gallons, and no more than 5 % more (or 4 % plus 1 quart, whichever is greater). Emboss the marks: ICC-17H, STC (single-trip container), the maker, and the gauges, capacity and year.
Tools needed:
Stamping Press7
7
Leak-test every drum
Leak-test every drum
Test each drum by air pressure inside of at least 7 psi with its seams under water or covered with soapsuds or heavy oil. Reject leakers, or repair them the way they were made and test again.
Materials for this step:
Water1 as requiredTools needed:
Air Compressor
Pressure Gauge8
8
Type tests every four months
Type tests every four months
On drums taken at random and closed as for use: drop one filled with water to 98 % from 4 ft onto concrete so it lands diagonally on the chime, and hold another at 15 psi water pressure for 5 minutes. None may leak.
Materials for this step:
Water1 as requiredTools needed:
Pressure GaugeMaterials
6- 1 12-gauge strip for the ringPlaceholder
- 1 for the lugsPlaceholder
- 1 5/8 in boltPlaceholder
- 1 5/8 inPlaceholder
- 1 gasketPlaceholder
- 2 as requiredPlaceholder
Tools Required
10- Placeholder
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- 1 vendor sell this, none ship to you yetPlaceholder
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