This invention relates to means for producing a fluidtight seal between two interconnected fitting assemblies.
Various liquid products, for example oil products and the like, are often shipped and stored in containers such as drums. The liquid product is introduced and withdrawn from the drum through a bunghole located in an end wall of the drum, ordinarily adjacent a cylindrical side wall in the drum. During storage and shipment, this bunghole is closed by a removable cap. To prepare the drum for the dispensing of material therefrom, the cap is removed and a faucet assembly including a threaded stem is mounted on the drum with the stem screwed into an internally threaded bore which is part of the bunghole. The drum may then be laid on its side with the bunghole located at the lowermost position permitted through positioning of the drum. Liquid product may then be dispensed through opening of the faucet in the faucet assembly with the liquid product flowing under gravity out through the faucet.
The usual stem in such a faucet assembly is provided with tapered external threads which facilitate screwing of the faucet assembly into place. A fluid-tight mounting of the faucet assembly is achieved when the assembly is turned to advance as far as conveniently possible the tapered threads of the stem into the non-tapered threads of the bunghole. This condition may be achieved with the faucet in the assembly having any number of orientations with respect to the side portion of the drum closest to the bunghole, i.e., it may be facing the side portion (which would be optimum in the gravity dispensing system earlier described) or it may be facing exactly the opposite direction (which obviously introduces problems in such a gravity dispensing system).
According to this invention, an internally threaded hand manipulatable nut element is provided which is turned or screwed onto the stem portion of the faucet assembly before mounting of the faucet assembly in the bunghole. Preferably, the nut element is provided with non-tapered internal threads and these are of a sufficient diameter to enable the nut element to be advanced over the entire length of the threads in the stem portion. A gasket or washer is also provided over the face of the nut element which faces outwardly on the stem portion. With the nut element and gasket mounted on the stem portion, the faucet assembly is screwed into the threaded bunghole and turning is continued until the faucet assembly is fairly snugly carried by the bunghole but not necessarily until a fluid-tight connection is established. Turning is stopped with the faucet in the assembly having the desired orientation with respect to the drum. The nut element earlier described may then be advanced along the stem portion toward the bunghole so as to compress the gasket between the nut element and the bunghole and produce a fluid-tight connection.
A general object of the invention therefor is to provide a novel construction for the sealing of two interconnected fitting assemblies without the requirement that one be turned to a tightened condition with respect to the other.
Another object is to provide such a construction which features a hand manipulatable nut or nut element which is turned onto the threaded stem portion of one of the fitting assemblies before interconnection of the fitting assemblies and which after interconnection of the fitting assemblies is advanced along the stem portion to produce a fluid-tight seal. In this connection, it is contemplated that a gasket or washer be provided which is the production of a fluid-tight seal.
In many drum constructions, the bunghole comprises what might be thought of as a bunghole fitting held in place on the end wall of a drum by a collar which bears against an annular flange in the fitting. Leakage problems sometimes have been experienced by reason of liquid flowing into the bunghole by seeping between the collar described and the flange of the fitting. In the construction contemplated by this invention, this leakage is effectively taken care of.