Urethane
vs. Rubber: Greater load bearing capacity, higher abrasion,
tear, oil, ozone, and radiation resistance. Less expensive to process.
Urethane vs. Plastic: Higher abrasion,
impact, and radiation resistance. Better resilience, elastometer memory,
and noise reduction. Lower coefficient of friction.
Urethane vs. Metal: Lighter weight, better
noise reduction, resilience, and flexibility. Higher impact and
corrosion resistance. Less expensive fabrication.
Some of the major advantages of urethane are non-compressibility,
resiliency, and ability to form and hold metal without marring its
surface finish. It behaves similar to a solid fluid with a memory; under
force it will change its shape but its volume will remain constant.
Urethane will produce high, uniform and continuous counter pressure
under load. And, when the load is removed, quickly return to its
original shape.
In addition, the urethane provides a unique combination of properties.
These include:
• high load-bearing capacity
• toughness
• hardness
• abrasion resistance
• oil and ozone resistance
