Drum (container)
They are manufactured from sheets of cold rolled steel formed into a tube and welded along the side seam.
Two primary options are available for the top head: Henry Wehrhahn, employee of Nellie Bly's Iron Clad Manufacturing Company of New York, received two patents in December 1905 that would lead to the modern 55-gallon steel drum[2][3] Use of 200-litre drums became widespread in World War II, the first war in which trucks, cold rolled steel, stamp or pattern forging machinery and welding were widely available.
[4] The drums helped win the Guadalcanal Campaign in the first U.S. offensive in the South Pacific Theater.
The U.S. Navy could not maintain command of the sea long enough to offload aviation gasoline for aircraft ashore, so the drums were often transported to the island on fast ships, such as destroyers, and shoved over the sides (or, time permitting, lowered in cargo nets).
[5] When the intended use is for shipment of dangerous goods (hazardous materials), strict regulatory requirements are applicable.
Coordinated by the UN, countries and regional authorities require drum construction and the demonstrated performance of severe testing.
[9][10] This sufficiently strengthens them so that they can readily be turned on their sides and rolled when filled with heavy materials, like liquids.
The open-top sub-type is sealed by a mechanical ring clamp (concave inwards) that exerts sufficient pressure to hold many non-volatile liquids and make an airtight seal against a gasket, as it exerts force inward and downward when tightened by a normal three-quarter inch wrench or ratchet wrench.
Tops exist with bung holes as above, and these hybrid drums with lid can be used to ship many non-volatile liquids as well as industrial powders.
In general, drum usage is limited to wholesale distribution of bulk products, which are then further processed or sub-divided in a factory.
To secure the contents of the drums against theft and adulteration during shipment, cap-seals made of metal and other types like metal-plastic laminates are used.
The drums are typically made of steel with a ribbed outer wall to improve rigidity and for rolling.
Drums are frequently transported on pallets for ease of handling by a fork truck and for shipping.
The drum's size, shape, and weight distribution lends itself to being moved about readily on the loading dock or factory floor with a two-wheeled hand truck.
They can also be moved by hand short distances on firm surfaces by tilting and then rolling along the base, or by using a drum handler, which is designed especially for that purpose.
In the past, hazardous waste was often placed in drums of this size and stored in open fields or buried.
Tests have shown that a leaking 55-gallon drum can disperse its contents over a 1,200 square-foot area of level surface.
They are used for shipping various granular materials, coiled wire and cable, long Fluorescent light bulbs, and (when certified) for dangerous goods.
