Section 178.322   Specification MC 301; Cargo Tanks Constructed of Welded Aluminum Alloy (Grade 3S), To Be Mounted On and To Form Part Of Tank Motor Vehicles for Transportation of Flammable Liquids, and Poisonous Liquids, Class B

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.0.1   [178.322-1] General Requirements

Spec. MC 301 cargo tanks constructed on or before June 11, 1961 for the bulk transportation of hazardous materials must meet all the requirements contained in this section.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.0.3   [178.322-3] Certification

A certificate from the manufacturer of the cargo tank, or from a competent testing agency, certifying that each such tank is designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the specification shall be procured, and such certificate shall be retained in the files of the carrier during the time that such tank motor vehicle is employed in the transportation of flammable liquids or poisonous liquids by him.  In lieu of this certificate, if the motor carrier himself elects to ascertain if any such tank fulfills the requirements of the specification by his own test, he shall similarly retain the test data.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.0.5   [178.322-5] Marking of Cargo Tanks

a)         Metal identification plate. On and after January 1, 1941, there shall be on every cargo tank a metal plate located on the right side, near the front, in a place readily accessible for inspection.  This plate shall be permanently affixed to the tank by means of soldering, brazing, welding, or other equally suitable means; and upon it shall be marked by stamping, embossing, or other means of forming letters into or on the metal of the plate itself, in the manner illustrated below, at least the information indicated below.  The plate shall not be so painted as to obscure the markings thereon.

Carrier's Serial Number¹

Manufacturer's Name²

Date of Manufacture²

ICC MC 301

Nominal Tank Capacity _______ U.S. Gallons

¹      Carriers are not required to number their tanks serially; any designation regularly used by the carrier to identify the tank may be put in this space.

²      In the event the identity of the tank manufacturer or the date of manufacture is not known and cannot be ascertained, the spaces indicated shall be marked "MAKE UNKNOWN" and/or "DATE OF MANUFACTURE UNKNOWN."

b)         Test date markings.  Every cargo tank constructed in accordance with this specification shall be marked with the test date as prescribed in 92 Ill. Adm. Code 177.824 (h).

c)         Additional markings.  In addition to the above markings, cargo tanks must be marked as required by 92 Ill. Adm. Code 177.823.

d)         Certification by markings.  The markings specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section shall serve to certify that the information thereby set forth is correct.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.0.9  [178.322-9] Testing Requirements

a)         Test for leaks.  Before being certified in accordance with Section 178.322.0.3, every cargo tank shall be tested by a minimum air or hydrostatic pressure of 3 pounds per square inch gauge applied to the whole tank and dome if it be non-compartmented.  If compartmented, each individual compartment shall be similarly tested with adjacent compartments empty and at atmospheric pressure.  Air pressure, if used, shall be maintained for a period of at least five minutes during which the entire surface of all joints under pressure shall be coated with a solution of soap and water, heavy oil, or other material suitable for the purpose, foaming or bubbling of which indicates the presence of leaks.  Hydrostatic pressure, if used, shall be done by using water or other liquid having a similar viscosity, the temperature of which shall not exceed 100° F. during the test, and applying pressure as prescribed above, gauged at the top of the tank, at which time all joints under pressure shall be inspected for the issuance of liquid to indicate leaks. All closures shall be in place while test by either method is made.  During these tests, operative relief devices shall be clamped, plugged, or otherwise rendered inoperative; such clamps, plugs, and similar devices shall be removed immediately after the test is finished.  Any leakage discovered by either of the methods above described, or by any other method, shall be deemed evidence of failure to meet the requirements of this specification. Tanks failing to pass this test shall be suitably repaired, and the above described tests shall be continued until no leaks are discovered, before any cargo tank is put into service.

b)         Test for distortion or failure.  Before being certified in accordance with Section 178.322.0.3, every cargo tank to which this specification applies shall be tested by pressures prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Section, and shall withstand such pressure without undue distortion, evidence of impending failure, or failure. Failure to meet this requirement shall be deemed as sufficient cause for rejection under this specification.  If there is undue distortion, or if failure impends or occurs, the cargo tank shall not be returned to service unless a suitable repair is made.  The suitability of the repair shall be determined by the same method of test.

c)         Retest requirements.  Every cargo tank shall be retested in accordance with 92 Ill. Adm. Code 177.824.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.1  [178.322-11] Material

All sheets for such cargo tanks shall be of aluminum alloy, known as 3 S alloy, meeting the following requirements:

Yield point, minimum ................................................................. 18,000 p.s.i.

Ultimate strength .......................................................................  21,000 p.s.i.

Elongation, 2-inch sample ..............................................................  8 percent

AGENCY NOTE:  Yield strength is the stress which produces a permanent set of 0.2 percent of the initial gauge length (ASTM E8-36).

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.2  [178.322-12] Thickness of Sheets and Ring Stiffeners

The minimum thickness of tank sheets and ring stiffeners shall be as follows:

¹              Approximate.

AGENCY NOTE:  Flat heads without reinforcement no longer permitted.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.3  [178.322-13] Tolerance

A tolerance of ten percent shall be allowed for capacities of compartments and tanks.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.4  [178.322-14] Joints

Sheets shall be joined by fusion welding.  The tensile strength of each joint in a tank shall be not less than 15,000 lbs. per sq. in.  Compliance with this requirement shall be determined by preparing, from materials representative of those to be used in tanks subject to this specification and by the same technique of fabrication, 2 test specimens conforming to figure found in Appendix C and testing them to failure in tension.  One pair of test specimens may represent all the tanks to be made of the same combination of materials, by the same technique of fabrication, and in the same shop, within six months after the tests on such samples have been completed.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.7  [178.322-17] Tank Outlets

Outlet fixtures of tanks shall be substantially made and attached to the tank in such a manner as to prevent breakage at the outlet point.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.8  [178.322-18] Bulkheads, Baffles, and Ring Stiffeners

a)         No bulkheads shall be required in any cargo tank, regardless of capacity, which is used in a service in which the entire tank is never loaded less than eighty percent full or in which no compartment of the tank is ever loaded less than eighty percent full, provided that the entire contents of the tank or of one or more compartments of the tank is discharged at each unloading point.

b)         Number, dimensions and capacities of bulkheads, baffles, and ring stiffeners.  Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section, every cargo tank shall be divided into compartments and/or provided with baffles or ring stiffeners as follows:

1)         Every cargo tank larger than 1,500 gallons shall be divided into compartments, the number of which shall be the result of dividing the capacity of the tank in gallons by 1,200 to the nearest whole number.

2)         Every cargo tank, and every compartment of a cargo tank over 90 inches in length, shall be provided with baffles or ring stiffeners, the number of which shall be such that the linear distance between any two adjacent baffles or ring stiffeners, or between any tank head or bulkhead and the baffle or ring stiffener nearest it, shall in no case exceed 60 inches.

3)         Each bulkhead required in this paragraph shall have adequate strength to sustain without undue stress or any permanent set a horizontal force equal to the weight of so much of the contents of the tank as may come between it and any adjacent bulkhead or tank head, applied as a uniformly distributed load on the surface of the bulkhead or tank head.

4)         Each baffle required in this paragraph shall have at least an area as great as 80 percent of the cross-sectional area of the tank.

5)         If spaces are provided between compartments, such spaces shall be arranged for venting and for complete drainage at all times.

6)         Ring stiffeners shall be continuous around the circumference of the tank shell, and shall have at least the section modulus required by the following table:

¹           L is the maximum distance from midpoint of unsupported shell on one side of ring stiffener to the midpoint of unsupported shell on the opposite side of the ring stiffener.  See Section 178.322.1.2 for minimum thickness of ring stiffeners.

If a ring stiffener is welded to the shell, a portion of the shell may, for purposes of computing the section modulus, be considered as a part of the ring section.  If welded at one side of the ring stiffener only, such portion shall not exceed 20 times the shell thickness adjacent to the weld.  If welded at both sides of the ring stiffener, such portion shall not exceed 40 times the shell thickness adjacent to the weld, or the width of the ring stiffener between welds plus 20 times the shell thickness adjacent to the welds, whichever is less.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.1.9  [178.322-19] Tank Vents

Each tank or tank compartment shall be provided with a vacuum and pressure operated vent with a minimum effective opening of 0.44 square inch, and shall also be provided with an emergency venting facility so constructed as to provide a minimum free-venting opening having a net area in square inches equal to 1.25 plus 0.0025 times the capacity of the tank or compartment in gallons. If the emergency venting facility operates in response to elevated temperatures, the critical temperature for such operation shall not exceed 200° F.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.2.0  [178.322-20] Valve and Faucet Connections

All draw-off valves or faucets of tanks and compartments shall have discharge ends threaded, or be otherwise so designed as to insure in every instance a tight connection with the hose extending to the storage fill pipe.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.2.1  [178.322-21] Emergency Discharge Control

Each tank or tank compartment of a bottom-discharge tank shall be equipped with a reliable and effective shut-off valve located inside the shell of the tank or tank compartment in the tank or compartment outlet; and the operating mechanism for such valve or valves shall be provided with a secondary closing mechanism remote from tank filling openings and discharge faucets, for operation in the event of fire or other accident.  Such control mechanism shall be provided with a fusible section which will cause the valve to close automatically in case of fire, and the critical temperature for the fusing of such section shall not exceed 200° F.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.2.2  [178.322-22] Shear Section

There shall be provided between each shut-off valve seat and discharge faucet a shear section which will break under strain, unless the discharge piping is so arranged as to afford equivalent protection, and leave the shut-off valve seat intact in case of accident to the discharge faucet or piping.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.2.3  [178.322-23] Protection of Valves and Faucets

Draw-off valves and faucets projecting beyond the frame, or if the vehicle be frameless, beyond the shell, at the rear, shall be adequately protected by steel bumpers or other equally effective devices, against collision.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)

Section 178.322.2.4  [178.322-24] Overturn Protection

All closures for filling openings shall be protected from damage in the event of overturning of the motor vehicle, by being enclosed within the body of the tank or a dome attached thereto, or by the use of suitable metal guards securely attached to the tank or the frame of the motor vehicle.

(Source:  Added at 5 Ill. Reg. 1715, effective February 9, 1981)