Recently, buried in thought, I fidgeted with the cap of a bottle of water, twisting the cap on and off. (Yes, even us well owners sometimes drink bottled water.) I noticed how quickly the cap tightened — in far less than a single turn. Curious, I looked at the bottle’s thread. It was a quad lead! Looking down at the bottle opening, four separate threads started in four equally spaced places. Cool, I thought. Multiple-lead threads are utilitzed on some DTH hammer cases, and they are the norm on raise-bore drill pipe. Remember the double-lead threads on those Portadrill blasthole rigs? Multiple leads speed up pipe and tooling connections.
In the drilling industry, and in life, we encounter many different threads. Since I am neither a driller nor plumber, my most common thread use is when I connect a garden hose to the outside faucet. Ever wonder about this thread, or is it just me? Is there an organization that regulates it and sets the standards? Or, does every supplier just know to supply this thread?