[Nhcoll-l] Exploding glass vials

[Dirk Neumann]

Dear Sarah,

it seems that a lot of pressure builds up inside your vials; temperature 
increase by 2 degrees can build up 2 bar pressure insight your vials. If 
vials are filled up to the top (with little head space below the lid), 
pressure might be even higher.

Check for additional temperature differences in your lab (where the 
vials are closed) and the storage area, because temperature differences 
between those two areas may be suited to the problem you oberserve. If 
you screw a lid on (of put a stopper on an stopper jar), you trap 
additional air insight; this additionally adds to the problem.

I would try to leave more head space in your vials (which apparently do 
have good tight sealings) and to close the vials under temperatures 
close to the highest temperatures you observed in your storage area.

Tight lids are essential to ensure a stable environment inside your 
vial. If you would screw lids down too tight (and the glass would be too 
unstable), the necks would crack immediately under the physic force, but 
not burst towards the outside (jumping lids, breaking bottoms, etc.)

Hope this helps
Dirk


Am 11.01.2017 um 14:42 schrieb Sarah K. Huber:
>
> We are having some problems with our glass vials (2-dram, 4-dram, and 
> 6-dram) cracking, breaking, and in some cases exploding. In one 
> instance the top of the vial snapped and shot up a few inches in the 
> air about 5 minutes after sealing the vial (very exciting). However, 
> most vials that break are found during routine (monthly) checks. In 
> some cases, the vials have been fine for a year, and then will break. 
> In other cases, they break a week or two after fillign. Breakage 
> occurs several ways: a clean break along the neck, a clean break along 
> the bottom, or spider cracks along the whole vial. Has anyone else had 
> this problem or know of a solution (e.g., do we need higher quality 
> glass vials, are we screwing down the lids too tight, etc.)?
>
> We use Kimble™ Screw-Thread N-51A Borosilicate Glass Sample Vials with 
> Closed-Top Black Phenolic Caps with Rubber Liners. Vials are filled 
> with ethanol (either 70% or 95%) and larval fishes. Vials are stored 
> in cardboard vial trays with dividers between vials, and vial trays 
> are stored in wooden drawers in sealed metal cabinets. The room has 
> minimal fluctuations in humidity, but can fluctuate in temperature by 
> about 5 degrees. Once the vials are stored they are relatively 
> undisturbed, so there is little to no bumping or moving of the vials.
>
> Any thoughts or recommendations of other vial manufacturers would be 
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Sarah
>
>
> Sarah K. Huber, Ph.D.
> Curatorial Associate, VIMS Nunnally Ichthyology Collection
> Office 804.684.7104 | Collection 804.684.7285
> skhuber at vims.edu | www.vims.edu
> PO Box 1346 | 1375 Greate Rd., Gloucester Pt., VA 23062
>
>
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-- 
Dirk Neumann

Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

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Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
Zoologische Staatssammlung München
Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Labor
Münchhausenstr. 21
81247 München

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---------

Dirk Neumann

Tel: +49-89-8107-111
Fax: +49-89-8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

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Bavarian Natural History Collections
The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Lab
Muenchhausenstr. 21
81247 Munich (Germany)

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