7/1/2021

Mats on the Elastic rubber wheels

"There is an plethora of different elastic wheels, what is the main difference and what should you keep in mind when choosing an elastic wheel?"

Got this assignment to write a bit about elastic rubber wheels and it felt perfectly ok. Today I have a slightly different attitude, to create a good text about elastic rubber wheels wasn’t as  simple as I thought.

Rubber is very common in many products, but what about elasticity? Over 3000 years ago, the Indians in Central America extracted rubber from the rubber tree and mixed it with juice from the field wind, which was then used for e.g. the outsole of sandals and bouncy balls for the kids.

Elasticity is when the material can be pulled out or compressed with force/load and then returns to its original shape when the force/load ceases or is transferred and then the energy is converted into kinetic energy. Elastic materials have a yield strength where they cease to be completely elastic and if that limit is exceeded they can become permanently deformed.

An elastic rubber wheel consists of a vulcanized elastic rubber tire with a hub made of polyamide, aluminum or cast iron. The rubber used is natural rubber from rubber trees or it is made synthetically/chemically. In rubber production, various substances are added to create the desired properties and that is probably what decides the level of quality. The rubber is vulcanized so that the long molecular chains in the starting material are crosslinked and make the material stable and durable. The connection between the rubber tire and the hub is chemical and/or mechanical and the hardness of the tire is usually between 65 to 75° Shore A and can withstand temperatures between -30 to +80 degrees.

You choose elastic rubber wheels when you want good comfort. They have low rolling resistance, are shock and vibration damping, quietly rolling and can be deformed to then regain their original shape. They work best in a dry environment, free from oils. The wheel has a versatile area of ​​use in, for example, light and medium material handling and is used for various trolleys such as storage trolleys, washing trolleys, roller containers, tool trolleys and waste containers.

Swede-Wheel has a lot of different elastic rubber wheels in diameters from 80 to 400 mm. On our website you can find wheels with plain, roller or ball-bearing where, for example, those with a gray or blue track is non-marking. The wheels are available as loose wheels or mounted in a bracket/forks. My recommendation is to use ball-bearing wheels in most cases.

 

“When I previously had a wheel shop in Örebro, I thought it was fun to show the elasticity of wheels for customers by throwing the wheel in the air with a lot of backspin and once it landed on the ground, it bounced back to the hand again if it had good elasticity. A customer was to test this and threw a relatively large and heavy rubber wheel into the air, but without a backspin and with a broken shop window as a result. That rubber tire most probably had a really good elasticity. "

 

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