Typical uses of rubber impact elements are in chutes, hoppers, feed boxes and on screen decks.
To gain the best advantage from impact resistant rubber, certain points need to be considered. These being:
- The effect of wear on the rubber as the product is dropped from a particular height.
- The size of the product.
- The angle of impact of the product on the rubber.
When the product is striking a rubber surface at 90 degrees the surface of the rubber absorbs the kinetic energy at right angles. Because of the absorbing effects of rubber, the rubber returns to its original state resulting in no damage and very little or no wear.
It is important to ensure that when designing rubber impact elements that the thickness of the rubber is of sufficient thickness to absorb the impact of the product. The larger the product the thicker the rubber.
Rubber is most efficient in absorbing energy at an angle of 90% or close to it. This is because of the dispersion of kinetic energy as already mentioned, moves sideways at right angles. Should the angle of impact be at 45 degrees, the wear rate of impact rubber increases by approximately 20 times that of an angle of impact at 90 degrees. This wear rate increases as the angle of impact reduces. To counteract this problem in, say a chute application where the product is hitting the surface at 45 degrees, a profile element can be used.
Our rubber impact elements are designed to create an impact angle of 90 degrees.