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Why are beer cans tapered at the top and bottom?
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(11 votes, avg: 3.73)
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Why are beer cans tapered at the top and bottom?
9,481 Views | (11 votes, avg: 3.73)
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so that they can be stacked up one top of the another
That’s the case when the beer cans are kept vertically but however, beer cans are also stacked horizontally and this tapering doesnt matter a lot in that case.
The top has a lip, which would get in the way of the can next to it when stacked side by side. By tapering the top, the lip is inset and cans fit flush side by side. The bottom is tapered so that it can fit nicely into the top of a can beneath it.
That wouldn’t be tapering of the can, that is just tapering of the lid and the base. The question asks why it is tapered on the actual can, suggesting that in the middle it is thicker.
One could argue that by having a wider middle part and a smaller top, it makes it so that after your first sip the center of gravity of your can would be lower or closer to the ground. The lower the center of gravity, the harder to tip.
beer can walls are weak in nature which not strong enough to keep the depresurrized carbonated drink. The “inside” tappered bottom assures strong base for structural integrity
This is a design consideration over the stresses that have been acting on a can. Basically, when a can is pressurized, there are two stresses exist, namely hoop stress (Sh) and longitudinal stress (Sl).
Formulae:
Sh = p*r/t
Sl = p*r/(2t)
p - pressure
r - radius
t - wall thickness
This means with the similar pressure p, Sh is more critical and a can will explode (fail) by Sh rather than Sl.
Now, let’s imagine the top and bottom of a can is not tapered, but flat, this means r would be infinity. This lead to infinity stress and caused the can to explode.
Hope I have answer to the point.
continue 6 ……………
Hence, beer cans tapered at the top and bottom in order to reduce the stesses which could have lead to explosion!
The beer cans are significantly thicker at lids than at sides. Therefoer reducing the diameter of the lid can greatly reduce the raw material use for making a can. Thus tapering a Can reduces about 15% of raw material as against the non tapered one
All of the reasons listed so far show good thinking, but sometimes people can OVER think a problem. The reason is that someone some time ago realized that they could save a marginal amount of aluminum, so they tapered the cans, to save metal.
This is the same think that VK said, just in layman’s terms.
So that it would be easy to pick one can when packed multiple cans in a box. If they are perfect cylinder then it would be impossible to pick one can from the packed box.
Summary of the story:
There are different reasons for that.
1. Picking a can from a packed box of beer cans becomes easy.
2. Lids are thicker than the sides. Hence to save material.
3. So that the bottom of one can fits perfectly on the top of another can(think like a pervert).
4. To reduce stress and thus prevent bursts(I couldn’t understand the reason).
Now for comedic reasons:
1. It becomes easier to hit a person with such a can then with a cylindrical one.
2. You can use the empty cans to play bowling.
3. So that you don’t reuse the can as a glass.
4. So that women can use it as a *****.
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