Owens-corning Fiberglas Corporation

Robert M Sommerkamp

David H Bartlow

Kenneth D Pfeifer

Julius C Brooks

The mandrel includes a generally cylindrical but tapered outer molding surface for forming a sidewall portion of a tank from thermosetting resin and reinforcing material deposited thereon and a tank bottom mold for forming a bottom portion of the tank integrally with the sidewall portion. The tank bottom mold is shiftable to strip a completed tank from the tapered molding surface.

Tank forming mandrel with tank bottom mold

An upper tank half provided with a manway and a lower tank half provided with a sump are each formed of thermosetting resin reinforced with chopped glass fiber strands and then secured together with several plys of resin-impregnated glass mat applied around the circumference at the joint inside and outside of the tank. Each tank half is flared adjacent the joint to provide half of a tank strengthening rib for the completed tank, which has a diameter larger than its height. Two semicircular perforated olive retaining plates are removably mounted in the upper tank half adjacent the lower end of the manway. Aboveground and underground embodiments of the tank are provided.

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Mt. Union, PA, United States of America

Robert M Sommerkamp