Casket Opening and Closure Methods, OBC and Vaults
Concrete vaults will have interior lining made of
- Asphalt - Plastic (polystyrene or ABS) - Metal (stainless steel, copper, bronze)
Outer burial containers include
- Burial vaults - Grave boxes - Grave liners
Metal vaults come in various types of metal including:
- Carbon steel - Stainless steel - Copper - Galvanized
Types of vault materials:
- Concrete - Metal - Polypropylene and fiberglass
Materials for grave liners
- Concrete (most common) - Wood
Types of gasketed locking mechanisms:
- End lock - Side/front lock - Lever lock
2 Categories of closure methods
- Gasketed - Non-gasketed
OBC styles:
- Grave box - Sectional box
Non-gasketed closure methods
- Latch closure - Threaded fasteners - Chemical compounds - Hermetically sealed
Qualities of a vault
- Seals - Liner - Warranty - can withstand 5000 lbs of pressure PSF
The 4 load types:
- Static - Differential - Dynamic - Impact
Vaults prove additional protection from outside elements and/or subsoil conditions including:
- Water/moisture - Unleveled grave space - Bugs/vermin
Concrete vaults may have reinforcement such as
- Wire/steel meshing - Steel rebar
Concrete vaults weight bout
1 ton (2000+ lbs)
Three components of gasketed caskets
1. Gasket 2. Hinges 3. Locking mechanism
Cap opening styles:
1. Perfection full-couch 2. Perfection half-couch 3. Single hinged panel 4. Slip panel (clergy/priests casket)
Dimensions vary greatly with infant caskets beginning as small ________ in length
12 inches
Children _________ years old will go in an ______________ casket
12; adult
Vaults can support the earth's load in
18" of soil at 4000+ lbs
1 X means the size has increased by one increment meaning
2 inches wider and 3 inches longer
Standard size adult vault dimensions
30'' wide x 86'' long X 24.5 high
Children _________ or taller will go in an ________ casket
4 feet; adult
The increase in the size of infant caskets is ________ inches in length up to __________
6 inches; 5 feet
Gauges that metal vaults come in
7, 10, and 12 gauge
Average inside casket dimensions for wood caskets
75" long x 22" wide and 16-22" high (6'3" x 1'10")
Average inside casket dimensions for a metal casket
78" long x 23" wide and 16-24" high (6'6 x 1'11")
Over sized example: Standard size is 75x22 (the x means the size has increased by one increment) what are the dimensions
78x24 (75+3=78 and 22+2=24)
The average outside casket dimensions
84" long x 29" wide (7' x 2'5")
Metal vaults use a _________ closure method
Air seal
Utilizes the air pressure created by placing the dome of the vault onto the base of the vault.
Air seal
____________ is the most common seal employed in polymer and fiberglass vaults
Air seal
On the perfection half couch an additional gasket is necessary and is located____________ and called the ___________
Along the header flange of the foot cap and is called the gasket channel/ transverse channel
The most common epoxy compound is
Butyl
An epoxy such as butyl tape, used to function as a "gasket"
Chemical compounds
Many vault companies offer what is called the ______________ which is a casket-vault combination which is chemically sealed by using butyl type
Combo unit
The gasket ensures that the hinge will not ___________
Come in contact with the underground elements
A mixture of sand, gravel, water, and cement
Concrete
On the perfection style casket the ogee is attached to the ______ and part of the ____________
Crown; cap of the casket
Excess temporary weight is placed on a grave (ex. dirt from another grave)
Differential
Air seal is also called the
Diving bell principle
Utilizes the principle of the air seal in conjunction with an epoxy material at the junction of the dome and the base of the vault
Double seal
Excess temporary weight that varies (example equipment weight)
Dynamic
Uses a slide or travel bar within the top body molding. A hex/casket key is inserted into a portal at the foot end of the casket
End lock
Utilized in above ground crypts in which one end will drop down and be sealed so a casket can be "slid" in for interment
End seal
True or False: There are state and federal laws the require the purchase and/or use of outer burial containers or vaults
False
Which part f the deceased do you typically measure
From elbow to elbow (widest part)
Single Molded piece of rubber along top body molding flange
Gasket
Metal vaults are measured in
Gauge
An outer enclosure with a single-unit base and a one-piece or two-piece cap
Grave box
A outer enclosure which offers protection from the earth's load but does not have sealing qualities, and therefore offers no protection from the elements
Grave liner
While the gasket ensures the integrity of the hinge and the seal achieved in a gasketed casket it does not ________
Guarantee the seal of the gasket
Sealed by fusion or soldering. It is airtight and impervious to external influsences
Hermetically sealed
Connects the cap to the body of the casket shell and are located within the parameter of the gasket
Hinges
Sudden and powerful force to the outer burial containers (example: filling the grave with dirt)
Impact
The width of an infant casket will adjust
In proportion to the length
Historically, the ogee was hinged ___________ of the crown and would fold outward and downward
Independently
Chemical compounds are used for what kind of caskets?
Infant caskets
A simple spring-loaded latching mechanism. Some can be worked with the fingers but others may require a hex key
Latch closure
Requires no hex key, but rather a lever permanently affixed to the top body molding which is turned to lock the cap. Not nearly as discreet as end or side locking mechanisms
Lever lock
Locks the cap to the body
Locking mechanism
An OBC will meet only the _________ cemetery requirements
Minimum
The perfection full couch is usually more expensive because
More materials are used, both the head and foot cap is finished
The cap includes the
Ogee, crown, pie, and header
On a perfection full-couch the entire lid is molded as
One piece
Any container which is designed for placement in the grave around the casket
Outer burial container (OBC)
Characterized by the open full cap or lid exposing the body from head to toe for viewing purposes
Perfection full-couch
Caskets today are usually ______________
Perfection half-couch
Characterized by a transverse cut through the cap, which results in a two piece cap
Perfection half-couch
These are mostly used for infant combo units and less common than concrete and metal vaults
Polymer (polypropylene) and fiberglass
_________________ are sold at a much higher rate for infant and children's caskets
Polymer caskets
A grave liner consisting of six or eight slabs of unfinished concrete placed around the casket
Sectional box
A slide or travel bar is used in similar fashion to the end lock but the portal opening is located on the front (viewing) side of the casket
Side (front) lock
Characterized by having a crown only that is hinged, the ogee or rim does not raise with the crown when the cap is opened
Single-hinged panel
Characterized by the complete removal of the head panel from the cap. Also referred to as the priests or clergy casket. It is not hinged but attached by wooden pegs or dowels
Slip panel
Weight of the earth without any other weight factors
Static
What Part of the csket do you measure to see if the deceased will fit?
The inside dimensions
Casket closure methods determine:
The level of protection that a specific casket affords the dead human body in subsoil conditions
What part of the casket do you measure to determine if it will fit into a burial vault
The outside dimensions
A screw type fastener used to close hinged-cap caskets. A thumbscrew extends from the crown into the ogee, where its received by a threaded metal sleeve
Threaded fasteners
The historical purpose of OBC's
To protect from grave robbers
The modern purpose for OBC's
To support the earth's load
Concrete vaults use a ____________ seal method
Top seal
Utilizes an epoxy compound in conjunction with a tongue-in-groove closure at the top of the vault
Top seal
Polymer (polypropylene) and fiberglass vaults can be ______, ________, or _____________ sealed
Top, air, or double
True or False: Air seal is more common in areas where the soil is dryer
True
True or False: Double seal is a lesser common closure method
True
True or False: End seal method is a less common closure method
True
True or False: Every vault is considered an outer burial container, but outer burial containers cannot be legally be called vaults
True
True or False: For Jewish funerals, you flip the vault upside down and over the casket so the casket touches the eart
True
True or False: Most cemeteries require purchase of an OBC in the interest of maintaining the structure and integrity of the grave
True
True or False: OBC's are one of the 6 mandatory disclosures on a GPL
True
True or False: OBC's do not have a liner, seal, warranty, or requirement to withstand 5000 lbs pressure PSF (per square foot)
True
True or False: Oversize caskets may require an oversize vault which in turn may require the purchase of an additional grave space
True
True or False: Sometimes an insert panel/inner panel covers the foot portion of the deceased on a perfection full-couch
True
Concrete vaults have a _________ construction
Two piece
Metal vaults have a ___________ construction
Two piece
Caskets that are oversized or larger than the average casket increase _________ inches in width and ___________ inches in length
Two; Three
An outer enclosure which offers protection from earth's load as well as possessing sealing qualities
Vault
Vaults ultimately protect the grave from the
Weight of the earth as well as stress from equipment
Each increase in width/length is represented by an _______ after the size
X
