Base design and discharge valve for vats - rapid action flap valve with secure locking and sealing

摘要

This invention applies partic. to the construction of fermentation vats and has two main features. The first is the provision of an automatically opening door for removing the sediment after racking the wine. The door consists of a circular flap supported by a frame from a hinge on the vat. When closed, the door is pressed firmly against a seal by a peripheral locking ring, having projections which engage similar projections on the flap when the ring is rotated. Rotation is achieved by a level connected to a toothed quadrant meshing with corresponding teeth on the ring. The second feature is the provision of a specially shaped and angled base to the vat, terminating in the flap valve described, such that the vat is always cleanly emptied by gravity when the valve is opened.