Elastomers are used in many designs and products. These are polymers whose macromolecules are capable of stretching and shrinking under deformation. Such elastic properties are used in the automotive industry: there are elastic inserts in the car nodes. The most common elastomers are rubber and polyurethane. Which one is stronger?
Rubber properties
The basis of rubber is rubber, most often synthetic, obtained from petroleum products. The material itself and the product from it are obtained from raw materials at the same time. This polymer can be given the desired properties by adding a vulcanizer and fillers. Tires are primarily produced from rubber, as well as belts, hoses, gaskets, bushings, etc. Rubber with a hardness 65 A according to Shore is most often used for the manufacture of bushings and bushings.
The prevalence of this material is not surprising, because rubber has its own advantages:
But there are also disadvantages: low heat resistance, low resistance to aggressive substances, including mineral oils and petroleum products. This leads to the rapid aging of rubber, as a result of which products from it harden and lose elasticity, crumble, form cracks and even tear under load.
In nodes where the elastic insert is subjected to constant twisting, stretching and compression, the rubber does not last long and becomes a consumable that must be constantly replaced.
In recent years, car owners are increasingly replacing rubber parts in the suspension with polyurethane. The question is, what is better, polyurethane or rubber in bushings, has been resolved for many.
Properties of polyurethane
Polyurethane is a whole class of synthetic polymers that are obtained from diisocyanate and polyols. Polyurethane itself is chemically inert, that is, it doesn't pose a danger to humans. For example, we have been using polyurethane foam for a long time, namely foam rubber. It's also possible to create polyurethanes with various properties, from thin coatings to hard polymers, which are not inferior in wear resistance to metal structures, depending on the method of preparation and fillers. At the same time, polyurethane or rubber for the manufacture of the bushing can be produced with the same hardness, 65 A according to Shore.
In some industries, various types of polyurethane have been common for many decades. In the automotive industry, the popularity of this elastomer has been increasing in recent years, especially in areas where road quality is poor. Which bushings perform better: rubber or polyurethane? Experience has shown that polyurethane often outlasts the life of the product it's formulated into.
The difference between polyurethane and rubber in favor of the former makes polyurethane a promising material. It surpasses rubber by 2-5 times in the following indicators:
The Ukrainian PoliPro company offers polyurethane products for all brands of cars. We make exact copies of original spare parts, which even surpass the original in terms of operation, and at a much cheaper price.
Should VAZ owners switch to polyurethane, or is rubber more profitable? If you use a machine with heavy loads, you should definitely switch to polyurethane in order to save time and effort spent on replacing rubber consumables.
PoliPro manufactures parts from high quality raw materials by casting and uses reliable technologies for connecting the polyurethane and metal parts of the silent block. This reduces the chance of the polymer peeling off the metal casing. Tests on the press of bushings from PoliPro showed that our products can withstand enormous loads without breaks and delaminations. We confirm the quality of polyurethane bushings and bushings with a written guarantee for 1 year, regardless of the mileage.
If you have any questions about polyurethane products, write to us or call us. Join us on Facebook to be aware of the best offers from PoliPro!
