Thin-Wall Stainless Steel Beverage Barrel for High-Pressure Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current one-way beverage containers for carbonated beverages, such as plastic and tinplate containers, face issues with pressure stability, leakage, corrosion, and reduced shelf life, particularly in high-temperature and export market conditions, where they fail to ensure safety and maintain beverage quality.

Innovation Solution

A stainless steel one-way barrel with a longitudinally welded cylindrical casing, thin wall thickness, and flexible hose riser pipe, designed for high pressure resistance and sterilization, which includes a secure fitting and tap head system for safe filling and dispensing, ensuring stackability and cost-effectiveness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Weight of moving object

If plastic barrels are used for one-way beverage containers, then weight is reduced and cost is decreased, but pressure stability deteriorates at high temperatures and safety deteriorates due to bursting hazards

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebarrel weightVSAvoidpressure stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies disposable stainless steel barrels that are filled once and then discarded, combining the reliability of metal containers with the economic benefit of single-use design. The barrels are designed for one-way transport to consumption points without return or cleaning, eliminating the need for durable reusable containers while maintaining safety standards.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses stainless steel as a composite material solution that combines strength, pressure resistance, and safety in a single-use container. The material selection resolves the contradiction by providing both the structural integrity needed for high-temperature pressure stability and the disposability for cost-effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Ease of manufacture

If plastic barrels are used, then cost is decreased, but beverage quality deteriorates due to CO2 and oxygen permeability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction costVSAvoidbeverage quality retention
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The disposable stainless steel barrel provides superior gas barrier properties compared to plastic, maintaining beverage quality through the entire storage and transport lifecycle. The single-use nature keeps costs low while the material excellence preserves carbonation and prevents oxidation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

Stainless steel creates an inert, non-reactive environment that prevents oxygen permeation and protects beverage quality. The material's impermeability to gases ensures carbonation retention without requiring additional protective layers or treatments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #39Inert atmosphere (Inert environment)

3Ease of manufacture

If tinplate containers are used, then cost is decreased, but reliability deteriorates due to corrosion at weld seams and cut edges

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction costVSAvoidcorrosion resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses stainless steel, a superior material that combines the low-cost benefits of single-use design with excellent corrosion resistance. Unlike tinplate, stainless steel maintains integrity at weld seams and cut edges without rusting or degrading, resolving the contradiction between cost and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The disposable stainless steel barrel eliminates corrosion issues entirely by using a material that is inherently rust-proof. The single-use design means the container never undergoes the repeated handling, washing, and storage cycles that would expose reusable containers to corrosion risks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

4Duration of action of stationary object

If reusable stainless steel barrels are used, then durability is improved, but cost increases and complexity increases due to cleaning and maintenance requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice lifeVSAvoidcleaning and maintenance system
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent eliminates cleaning and maintenance complexity by designing a single-use barrel that is filled, transported, consumed, and discarded. This resolves the contradiction by removing the need for reusable infrastructure while maintaining beverage quality and safety throughout the container's entire lifecycle.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the cleaning and maintenance functions from the system entirely by making the container disposable. Rather than maintaining reusable barrels, the system simply replaces them after single use, eliminating the complex cleaning infrastructure required for reusable containers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

5Weight of moving object

If plastic barrels are used, then weight is reduced, but safety deteriorates due to shell fragmentation upon bursting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebarrel weightVSAvoidsafety hazard
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The disposable stainless steel barrel resolves the safety contradiction by using a material that, while heavier than plastic, provides controlled failure modes. The rigid metal construction prevents the catastrophic fragmentation seen in plastic, and the disposable nature keeps overall system costs low.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

Stainless steel provides a material solution that balances weight, strength, and safety. The metal's ductility and controlled deformation characteristics prevent dangerous shattering, creating a safer container despite the increased weight compared to plastic alternatives.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS11186407B2Single-use beverage barrel made of stainless steel
Publication Date: 2021.11.30 COOL SYST KEG GMBH
  • US11186407B2 patent drawing
  • US11186407B2 patent drawing
  • US11186407B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A single-use beverage barrel for one-time use, produced from a primarily cylindrical casing part, deep-drawn bottom and lid parts, having an opening in the center of the lid part, which is sealed by a plastic fitting and wherein the casing part is produced from stainless steel and has a wall thickness of 0.8 mm or less and the bottom part and the lid part are also produced from stainless steel and have a wall thickness of 0.8 mm or less.