Fitting the right wheels on your products helps improve efficiency in the following ways:
- Less failure by incapacity of oparators of your products
- Less failure by incapacity of your products
- Higher productivity
- Less damage to surfaces
- Less noise
The bigger the diameter of the wheel the lower the rolling resistance and the higher the load capacity.
During its lifetime a wheel meets many obstacles as: thresholds, irregular floors, holes in the road, etc. To increase the lifetime of the wheel and to provide smooth running we suggest the following Rule of thumb: use a wheel with a diameter 8 x the height of the irregularities.
Solid rubber = the most standard wheel, avarage rolling resistance, low in price
Elastic rubber = floor saving, shock absorbing, good rolling properties
Polyamide = low roling resistance, high chemical and moisture resistance.
Polyurethane = floor-saving, high loads, low rolling resistance, suitable for heavy industrial applications.
Pneumatic (flatfree) = shock absorption and quiet operation, for outdoor use or unpaved surfaces
Cast iron = very high loads, low rolling resistance, suitable for heavy industrial applications.
Vulkollan = a brand name of a superior polyurethane elastomer from Bayer. It is used for extreme dynamic loads for heavy industrial applications. floor-saving, low rolling resistance.
Shore Hardness is a way to measure hardness of materials such as polymers, elastomers and rubbers. Hard wheels can handle higher loads but are more noisy and make the ride less smooth.
Vulkollan® is a brandname of Bayer AG. Only polyurethane manufactured with Desmodur 15 according to the formula of Bayer is allowed to carry the name Vulkollan. The isocyanate Desmodur 15 gives Vulkollan his exceptional characteristics. Other polyurethanes use isocyanates of an inferior quality. Vulkollan is the most used polyurethane elastomere and is, more than ever, the norm of quality.
Vulkollan is a warm-casted polyurethane and so always superior to cold-casted polyurethanes.
Although Vulkollan is a brandname of a very specific polyurethane, some people try to use the name Vulkollan as a groupsname for all polyurethanes.
Standard production hardnesses of Vulkoprin are Vulkollan 90° and 95 ° shore A. For specific applications we also have productions of 80 ° shore A.
Rubbers : 25 - 80 ° shore A
Plastics : 55 - 95 ° shore D
Vulkollan : 80 - 90 - 95 ° shore A
The optimal characteristics and the best quality mix of Vulkollan are reached with a hardness of 90° shore A. Vulkollan 95° shore A offers the advantage of a higher load capacity (approximately + 15% than VK 90° shore). Vulkollan 80° shore A can be the solution where more grip on a slippery surface is needed.
Vulkollan has a big elongation + big tear strength+ big stiffness. Vulkollan 90° shore A can be stretched out up to 7 times his original length.
Plastics and metals : high tear strength + high stiffness, but small elongation, very small elasticity
Rubbers : big elongation, but small tear strength + small stiffness
Vulkollan has a very good tear resistance. In addition is also the tear resistance with notch very good. Although lower than when not notched, the tear resistance according to Graves is unapproachable by any other non-weaponed elastomere.
Vulkollan is unsensitive to cut-damage and even when the tread is damaged, the material does not tear further and keeps his functionality.
Vulkollan has an exceptional good wear resistance and has up to 2 times less loss of volume by wear than a natural rubber.
Softer Vulkollan has often less wear than the harder one because the material can turn aside.
To keep an optimal wear resistance, the temperature may not rise too much.
Vulkoprin has developped a special surface treatment that realises an optimal chemical bonding on all metal surfaces (cast iron, steel, aluminium, inox,...)
Vulkoprin guarantees, in a neutral chemical environment and in a room-temperature, a bonding to the metal as strong as the own tear strength of the Vulkollan.
Vulkollan keeps his elasticity and his ability of shock absorbing to - 40° C.
With temperatures to approximately 125 ° C there is, with exception of the elasticity modulus, a reversible decline of most of the characteristics. With temperature above 125° C there is a permanent damage of the chemical structure.
The tear resistance, and from that also the resistance to wear, are strongly decreased with temperatures above 80° C.
Vulkollan can be tooled , but one has to keep in mind the elastic characteristics of the material. Vulkoprin has experienced and technically skilled people to turn, mill or drill the Vulkollan uncomplicated.
The natural colour of Vulkollan is yellow-brown.
Under the influence of UV light Vulkollan will become darker to black by the Desmodur 15.
Colour changes, even unequally, have no influence on the quality.
In warm environment with high humidity polyurethanes can be affected by hydrolysis. Hydrolysis is the decomposition of the polyurethane as a result of contact with (warm) water. In these environments the decomposition by hydrolysis can be retarded by adding STABAXOL to the Vulkollan.
Vulkollan has a very low permanent distortion compared to other polyurethanes. Thanks to this characteristic wheels with Vulkollan® have the best resistance to flat sides, also called the "monday morning sole".
