A tin can, tin (especially in British English British English, or UK English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere. The Oxford English Dictionary applies the term to English "as spoken or written in the British Isles; esp[ecially] the forms of English usual in Great Britain...", reserving "), steel can, or a can, is an air-tight The word hermetic comes from the name of the Greek god Hermes. The concept of hermeticism comes from a syncretism of Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth, personified as a mythological alchemist known as Hermes Trismegistus. The latter has two books attributed to him, the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum. He was believed to possess a magic container Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use. Packaging for the distribution or storage of goods, composed of thin metal A metal is a chemical element that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat and forms cations and ionic bonds with non-metals. In chemistry, a metal is an element, compound, or alloy characterized by high electrical conductivity. In a metal, atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions (cations). Those ions are surrounded by, and requiring cutting or tearing of the metal as the means of opening. Cans hold diverse contents, but the overwhelming majority preserve food Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or greatly slow down spoilage caused or accelerated by micro-organisms. Some methods, however, use benign bacteria, yeasts or fungi to add specific qualities and to preserve food (e.g., cheese, wine). Maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is important by canning Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food is processed and sealed in an airtight container. The process was first developed as a French military discovery by Nicolas Appert. The packaging prevents microorganisms from entering and proliferating inside.[citation needed]

"Tin" cans are made of tinplate Tinning is the process of thinly coating sheets of wrought iron or steel with tin, and the resulting product is known as tinplate. It is most often used to prevent rust (tin-coated steel) but may also be made of aluminium Aluminium (UK: /ˌæljʉˈmɪniəm/ AL-yew-MIN-ee-əm) or aluminum (US: /əˈluːmɨnəm/ ( listen) ə-LOO-mi-nəm) is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, or other metals.

Contents

History

The tin can was patented in 1810 by the English inventor Peter Durand, based on experimental work by the Frenchman Nicolas Appert Nicolas Appert , was born in Châlons-en-Champagne, Marne and was the French inventor of airtight food preservation. Appert, known as the "father of canning", was a confectioner. He did not produce any food cans himself, but sold his patent to two other Englishmen, Bryan Donkin and John Hall, who set up a commercial canning factory, and by 1813 were producing their first canned goods for the British Army The British Army is the land armed forces branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and was administered by the War.

Early cans were sealed with lead soldering, which has led to lead poisoning Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems. It interferes with the development of the nervous system and is. Famously, in the 1845 Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, crew members suffered from severe lead poisoning after three years of eating canned food.

In 1901, the American Can Company was founded which, at the time, produced 90% of United States tin cans.[1]

Description

A selection of tins

Most cans have identical and parallel round A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane which are equidistant from a given point called the centre . The common distance of the points of a circle from its centre is called its radius tops and bottoms with vertical sides. However, where the small volume to be contained and/or the shape of the contents suggests it, the top and bottom may be rounded-corner rectangles In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is any quadrilateral with four right angles. The term "oblong" is occasionally used to refer to a non-square rectangle. A rectangle with vertices ABCD would be denoted as ABCD or ovals. Other contents may justify a can that is overall somewhat conical in shape.

The fabrication of most cans results in at least one "rim", a narrow ring whose outside diameter is slightly larger than that of the rest of the can. The flat surfaces of rimmed cans are recessed from the edge of any rim (toward the middle of the can) by about the width of the rim; the inside diameter of a rim, adjacent to this recessed surface, is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the rest of the can.

Three-piece can construction results in top and bottom "rim"; in two-piece construction, one piece is a flat top and the other a cup-shaped piece that combines the (at least roughly) cylindrical wall and the round base; the transition between the wall and base is usually somewhat gradual. Such cans have a single rim at the top.

In the mid-20th century, a few milk products were packaged in nearly rimless cans, reflecting different construction; in this case, one flat surface had a hole (for filling the nearly complete can) that was sealed after filling with a quickly solidifying drop of molten solder The word solder comes from the Middle English word soudur, via Old French solduree and soulder, from the Latin solidare, meaning "to make solid". Concern arose that the milk contained unsafe levels of lead leached from this solder plug.

Materials

No cans currently in wide use are composed primarily or wholly of tin; that term rather reflects the near-exclusive use in cans, until the second half of the 20th century, of tinplate Tinning is the process of thinly coating sheets of wrought iron or steel with tin, and the resulting product is known as tinplate. It is most often used to prevent rust steel Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten. Carbon and other elements act as a hardening agent, preventing, which combined the physical strength and relatively low price of steel with the corrosion Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen. Formation of an oxide of iron due to oxidation of the iron atoms in solid solution is a resistance of tin.

Use of aluminium Aluminium (UK: /ˌæljʉˈmɪniəm/ AL-yew-MIN-ee-əm) or aluminum (US: /əˈluːmɨnəm/ ( listen) ə-LOO-mi-nəm) is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, in cans began in 1957.[2] Aluminium is less costly than tin-plated steel but offers the same resistance to corrosion in addition to greater malleability Ductility is a mechanical property that describes the extent in which solid materials can be plastically deformed without fracture, resulting in ease of manufacture; this gave rise to the two-piece can, where all but the top of the can is simply stamped out of a single piece of aluminium, rather than laboriously constructed from two pieces of steel. Often the top is tin-plated steel and the rest of the can aluminium.

A can usually has a printed paper or plastic label Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use. Packaging glued to the outside of the curved surface, indicating its contents. A label can also be printed directly onto the metal.

In modern times, the majority of food cans in the UK[3] have been lined with a plastic coating containing bisphenol A Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications (BPA). The leeching of BPA into the can's contents is currently (as of early 2010) being investigated as a potential health hazard.

Standard sizes

Can sizes in the United States have an assortment of designations and sizes. For example, size 7/8 contains one serving of half a cup with an estimated weight of 4 ounces; size 1 "picnic" has two or three servings totalling one and a quarter cups with an estimated weight of 10½ ounces; size 303 has four servings totalling 2 cups weighing 15½ ounces; and size 10 cans, most widely used by food services selling to cafeterias and restaurants, have twenty-five servings totaling 13 cups with an estimated weight of 103½ ounces (size of a roughly 3 pound coffee can). These are all "U.S. customary" cups, and not equivalent to the former Imperial standard of the British Empire or the later Commonwealth.

In the United States, cook books A cookbook is a book that contains information on cooking. It typically contains a collection of recipes, and may also include information on ingredient origin, freshness, selection and quality will sometimes reference cans by size. These sizes are currently published by the Can Manufacturers Institute and may be expressed in three-digit numbers, as measured in whole and sixteenths of an inch for the container's nominal outside dimensions: a 307 x 512 would thus measure 3 and 7/16" in diameter by 5 and 3/4" (12/16") in height. Notice that this is not in millimetres. Older can numbers are often expressed as single digits, their contents being calculated for room-temperature water as approximately eleven ounces (#1 "picnic" can), twenty ounces (#2), thirty-two ounces (#3) fifty-eight ounces (#5) and one-hundred-ten ounces (#10 "coffee" can).[4]

In countries and regions that use the metric system of measures The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system of units of measurement devised around seven base units and the convenience of the number ten. It is the world's most widely used system of measurement, both in everyday commerce and in science, most tins are made in 250, 500, 750 ml The litre is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case (l and L). The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau. Although the litre is not an SI unit, it is accepted for use with the SI, and has appeared in several (millilitre The litre is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case (l and L). The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau. Although the litre is not an SI unit, it is accepted for use with the SI, and has appeared in several) and 1 L (litre The litre is a unit of volume. There are two official symbols: the Latin letter L in lower and upper case (l and L). The lower case L is also often written as a cursive ℓ, though this symbol has no official approval by any international bureau. Although the litre is not an SI unit, it is accepted for use with the SI, and has appeared in several) sizes (250 ml is approximately 1 cup or 8 ounces). In situations where products from the USA have been repackaged for sale in such countries, it is common to have odd sizes such as 3.89 L (1 USA gallon), 1.89 L (1/2 USA gallon), and 946 ml (USA 2 pints / 1 quart).

In Australia, cans are usually measured by net weight. A standard size tin can is roughly 400g; however, the weight can vary between 385g and 425g, depending on the density of the contents. The smaller half sized can is roughly 200g; it can vary between 170g and 225g.

Fabrication of cans

Rimmed-can construction necessarily has three phases:

  1. Joining the bottom and wall (or forming the cup-shaped piece, for a two-piece can)
  2. Filling the can with content
  3. Joining the wall and top.

Rims are crucial to the joining of the wall to a top or bottom surface. An extremely tight fit between the pieces must be accomplished to prevent leakage; the process of accomplishing this radically deforms small areas of the parts. Part of the tube that forms the wall is bent, almost at its end, turning outward through 90 degrees, and then bent further, toward the middle of the tube, until it is parallel to the rest of the tube, a total bend of 180 degrees.

The outer edge of the flat piece is bent against this toward the middle of the tubular wall, until parallel with the wall, turning inward through 90 degrees. The edge of bent portion is bent further through another 90 degrees, inward now toward the axis of the tube and parallel to the main portion of the flat piece, making a total bend of 180 degrees. It is bent far enough inward that its circular edge is now slightly smaller in diameter than the edge of the tube. Bending it yet further, until it is parallel with the tube's axis, gives it a total bend of 270 degrees. Outward from the axis of the tube, the first surface is the unbent portion of the tube.

Slightly further out is a narrow portion of the top, including its edge. The outward-bent portion of the tube, including its edge, is slightly further out. Furthest out is the 90-degree-bent portion of the flat surface.

The combined interacting forces, as the portion of the flat surface adjacent to the interior of the tube is indented toward the middle of the tube and then outward away from the axis of the tube, and the other bent portions of the flat piece and the tube are all forced toward the axis of the tube, drives these five thicknesses of metal against each other from inside and out, forming a "dry" joint so tight that welding or solder is not needed to strengthen or seal it.

Manufacturing information on the bottom of cans.

Inside of a tin can.

Opening cans

The first tin cans were heavy-weight containers that required ingenuity to open, using knives A knife is any cutting edge or blade, handheld or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of rock, flint, and obsidian; knives have evolved in construction as technology has with blades being made from bronze, copper, iron, steel, ceramics,, chisels A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it or even rocks. Not until cans started using thinner metal about 50 years later were any dedicated can openers A can opener is a device used to open metal cans. Although preservation of food using tin cans had been practiced since at least 1772 in the Netherlands, the first can openers were patented only in 1855 in England and in 1858 in the United States. Those openers were basically variations of a knife, and the 1855 design continues to be produced. The developed.

While beverage cans A beverage can, is a container manufactured from aluminium or steel designed to hold a single serving of a beverage. Steel beverage cans are made of tin-plated steel: see tin can or cans of liquids such as soup Soup is a food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. Traditionally, soups are classified into two main groups: clear soups and thick soups merely need to be punctured to remove the product, solid or semisolid contents require access which is generally gained by removing the top (or bottom) of the can. Although this can be accomplished by brute force using something like a large, heavy knife, many more convenient can openers have been devised and marketed.

Some cans, such as those used for sardines Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines were named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where they once lived in abundance, have a lid which is specially scored so that the metal can be broken apart by the leverage of winding it around a slotted church key.

The advent of pull tabs in beverage cans spread to the canning of various food products, such as pet food Pet food is plant or animal material intended for consumption by pets. Typically sold in pet stores and supermarkets, it is usually specific to the type of animal, such as dog food or cat food. Most meat used for non-human animals is a by-product of the human food industry, and is not regarded as "human grade." or nuts Nut is a hard shelled fruit of some plants that has an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts. Nuts are an important source of nutrients for both humans and wildlife (and non-food products such as oil cans An oil can is a can that holds oil (usually motor oil) for lubricating machines. An oil can can also be used to fill oil-based lanterns. An occupation, referred to as an oiler, can use an oil can (among other tools) to lubricate machinery and tennis balls A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis, approximately 6.7 cm in diameter and is usually bright green-yellow, but in recreational play can be virtually any colour. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties. The felt is made out of wool from a breed of sheep called Herdwick.[), allowing the convenience of opening without need for any tools or implements.

A simple butterfly can opener.

A can opener.

Detail on a can opener.

Recycling

Steel from cans and other sources is the most recycled Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse packaging material.[5] Around 65% of steel cans are recycled.[6] In the US, 63% of steel cans are recycled, compared to 52% of aluminium cans.[7]

Dissolution of the tin coating into the food

Although tin is corrosion resistant, acidic food like fruits and vegetables can cause corrosion of the tin layer. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea have been reported after ingesting canned food containing 200 mg/kg of tin.[8] A study showed that 99.5% of tested cans contain below 200 mg/kg of tin.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ American Can Company: Revolution in Containers, Excerpts of William C. Stolk; Address of The Newcomen Society of North America, April 21, 1960 - Printed July 1960, from oilcans.net, retrieved 16 July 2010
  2. ^ Petroleum week, Volume 9, 1959, p. 82 (Google Books)
  3. ^ "Revealed: the nasty secret in your kitchen cupboard". The Independent. 2010-04-01. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/revealed-the-nasty-secret-in-your-kitchen-cupboard-1932742.html. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
  4. ^ http://www.cancentral.com/standard.cfm
  5. ^ http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/E/environment/waste.html
  6. ^ http://www.worldsteel.org/?action=newsdetail&latest=1&id=181
  7. ^ http://www.cancentral.com/recFAQ.cfm
  8. ^ Blunden, Steve; Wallace, Tony (2003). "Tin in canned food: a review and understanding of occurrence and effect". Food and Chemical Toxicology 41 (12): 1651–1662. doi A digital object identifier is a character string used to uniquely identify an electronic document or other object. Metadata about the object is stored in association with the DOI name and this metadata may include a location, such as a URL, where the object can be found. The DOI for a document is permanent, whereas its location and other metadata:10.1016/S0278-6915(03)00217-5.
  9. ^ "Tin in canned fruit and vegetables (Number 29/02)" (PDF). Food Standards Agency. 2002-08-22. http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis2902tin.pdf. Retrieved 2009-04-16.

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