Rubber band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A rubber band (in some regions known as a binder, elastic band, lackey band, "laggy band" or gumband) is a short length of rubber and latex formed in the shape of a loop. Such bands are typically used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in Australia on March 17, 1845 by Stephen Perry.
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[edit] Manufacturing
The manufacturing process involves extruding the rubber into a long tube to provide its general shape, putting the tubes on mandrels and curing the rubber with heat, and then slicing it along the width of the tube into little bands.[1][2] While other rubber products may use synthetic rubber, rubber bands are still primarily manufactured using natural rubber because of its superior elasticity.
The modern rubber band is different from its ancestor at the time of patenting by Stephen Perry in that rubber is now vulcanized. The vulcanization process makes the rubber more durable and elastic, and therefore makes the rubber band more useful.
[edit] Rubber Band Sizes
[edit] Measuring
A rubber band has three basic dimensions: Length, width, and thickness. (See picture.)
A rubber band's length is half its circumference. Its thickness is the distance from the inner circle to the outer circle.
Lay a rubber band down so that it makes a square. The band's width is the height of that band or the square's intersection from the derivative case. If one imagines a long tube of rubber before it is sliced into rubber bands, the band's width is how far apart the slices are cut.
[edit] Rubber Band Size Numbers
A rubber band is given a [quasi-]standard number based on its dimensions.
Generally, rubber bands are numbered from small to large, width first. Thus, rubber bands numbered 8-19 are all 1/16 inches wide, with length going from 7/8 inches to 3 1/2 inches. Rubber band numbers 30-34 are for width of 1/8 inches, going again from shorter to longer. For even longer bands, the numbering starts over for numbers above 100, again starting at width 1/16 inches.
The origin of these size numbers is not clear and there appears to be some conflict in the "standard" numbers. For example, one distributor[3] has a size 117 being 1/16 inch wide and a size 127 being 1/8 inch wide. However, an OfficeMax size 117[4] is 1/8 inch wide. A manufacturer[5] has a size 117A (1/16 inch wide) and a 117B (1/8 inch wide). Another distributor[6] calls them 7AA (1/16 inch wide) and 7A (1/8 inch wide) (but labels them as specialty bands).
| Rubber Band Sizes | |||
| Size | Length (in) | Width (in) | Thickness (in) |
| 10 | 1.25 | 1/16 | 1/32 |
| 12 | 1.75 | 1/16 | 1/32 |
| 14 | 2 | 1/16 | 1/32 |
| 31 | 2.5 | 1/8 | 1/32 |
| 32 | 3 | 1/8 | 1/32 |
| 33 | 3.5 | 1/8 | 1/32 |
| 61 | 2 | 1/4 | 1/32 |
| 62 | 2.5 | 1/4 | 1/32 |
| 63 | 3 | 1/4 | 1/32 |
| 64 | 3.5 | 1/4 | 1/32 |
| 117 | 7 | 1/16 | 1/32 |
[edit] References
- ^ How rubber bands are made. This reference states that the rubber is vulcanized before it is extruded.
- ^ Lee Rubber Products, How rubber bands are made. This reference states that the rubber is vulcanized after it is extruded.
- ^ BigWig Enterprises, BigWig Size Chart
- ^ OfficeMax, #OM97352, UPC 011491-973520
- ^ Lee Rubber Products, How do rubber bands measure up?
- ^ Dykema Rubber Band
Rubber bands and heat - http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HOMEEXPTS/rubberband.html
[edit] External links
