Arubber band (also known as anelastic,gum band orlacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented inEngland on March 17, 1845, byStephen Perry.[1][2][3] Most rubber bands are manufactured out ofnatural rubber as well as for latex free rubber bands or, especially at larger sizes, anelastomer, and are sold in a variety of sizes.
Notable developments in the evolution of rubber bands began in 1923 when William H. Spencer obtained a few Goodyear inner tubes and cut the bands by hand in his basement, where he foundedAlliance Rubber Company. Spencer persuaded theAkron Beacon Journal as well as theTulsa World to try wrapping their newspapers with one of his rubber bands to prevent them from blowing across lawns. He went on to pioneer other new markets for rubber bands such as: agricultural and industrial applications and a myriad of other uses. Spencer obtained a patent on February 19, 1957, for a new "Method for Making Elastic Bands" which produced rubber bands in an Open Ring design.[4]
Most rubber, whether it is natural or synthetic, normally arrives at the manufacturing facility in large bales. Rubber bands are made by extruding the rubber into a longtube to provide its general shape. There are a number of different methods that can be applied at this point in the manufacturing process. Originally, and in some instances still today, the rubber tubes will then be placed onmandrels,curing the rubber with heat, and then slicing them across the width of the tube into little bands. This causes the tube to split into multiple sections, creating rubber bands.[5] This is most commonly known as an "off-line" rubber extrusion process.
While other rubber products may usesynthetic rubber, most rubber bands are primarily manufactured usingnatural rubber because of its superior elasticity.[6]
Natural rubber originates from thelatex of therubber tree, which is acquired by tapping into thebark layers of the rubber tree. Rubber trees belong to the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) and only survive in hot, humidtropical climates near theequator, so the majority of latex is produced in theSoutheast Asian countries ofMalaysia,Thailand, andIndonesia.[citation needed] Once the latex has been tapped and is exposed to the air, it begins to harden and become elastic, or rubbery.
A rubber band is usually measured in three basicdimensions: the flatlength, cutwidth, and wall thickness. The flat length is the total unstretched length. Perpendicular to the flat length is the cut width. Wall thickness is generally measured using tools such ascalipers orpin gauges. The wall thickness determines the band's strength and durability.[7]
If one imagines a rubber band during manufacture, that is, a long tube of rubber on a mandrel, before it is sliced into rubber bands, the band's width is decided by how far apart the slices are cut, and its length by the circumference of the tube.
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A rubber band is assigned an industry-standard number based on its dimensions. The first use of rubber band size numbers can be traced back to the early 20th century. While it is difficult to pinpoint an exact date, the practice of categorizing rubber bands by size allowed to easily select the appropriate rubber band for their specific needs. Standards for the rubber band were established in the United States in 1925 by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Standards and is the first known publication to reference rubber band size.
Generally, rubber bands are numbered from smallest to largest, width first.Thus, rubber bands numbered 8–19 are all1⁄16 inch wide, with lengths going from7⁄8 inch to3+1⁄2 inches.Rubber band numbers 30–35 are for width of1⁄8 inch, going again from shorter to longer.For even longer bands, the numbering starts over for numbers above 100, again starting at width1⁄16 inch.
| Size | Length (in) | Width (in) | Thickness (in) |
| 10 | 1+1⁄4 | 1⁄16 | 1⁄32 |
| 12 | 1+3⁄4 | 1⁄16 | 1⁄32 |
| 14 | 2 | 1⁄16 | 1⁄32 |
| 31 | 2+1⁄2 | 1⁄8 | 1⁄32 |
| 32 | 3 | 1⁄8 | 1⁄32 |
| 33 | 3+1⁄2 | 1⁄8 | 1⁄32 |
| 61 | 2 | 1⁄4 | 1⁄32 |
| 62 | 2+1⁄2 | 1⁄4 | 1⁄32 |
| 63 | 3 | 1⁄4 | 1⁄32 |
| 64 | 3+1⁄2 | 1⁄4 | 1⁄32 |
| 117 | 7 | 1⁄16 | 1⁄32 |
Temperature affects the elasticity of a rubber band in an unusual way. Heating causes the rubber band to contract and cooling causes expansion.[8]Stretching a rubber band will cause it to release heat, while releasing it after it has been stretched will make it absorb heat, causing its surroundings to become a little cooler. This effect is due to the higherentropy of the unstressed state, which is more entangled and therefore has morestates available. In other words, the ability to convertthermal energy intowork while the rubber relaxes is allowed by the higher entropy of the relaxed state.
The result is that a rubber band behaves somewhat like an idealmonatomic gas inasmuch as (to good approximation) thatelastic polymers do not store anypotential energy in stretched chemical bonds. No elastic work is done to "stretch" molecules when work is done upon these bulk polymers. Instead, all work done to the rubber is "released" (not stored) and appears immediately in thepolymer asthermal energy. Conversely, when the polymer does work on the surroundings (such as contracting to lift an object) it convertsthermal energy to work in the process and cools in the same manner as an ideal gas, expanding while doing work.
In the UK during 2004, following complaints from the public aboutpostal carriers creating litter by discarding the rubber bands which they used to keep their mail together, theRoyal Mail introduced red bands for their workers to use: it was hoped that, as the bands were easier to spot than the traditional brown ones and since only the Royal Mail used them, employees would see (and feel compelled to pick up) any red bands which they had inadvertently dropped. As of 2006, some 342 million red bands were being used per year.[9]The Royal Mail no longer uses red rubber bands as of about 2010. The exact date of the expunging of these is uncertain, presumably as different areas used up old stock at varying rates.[citation needed]
Special rubber bands of medical-gradelatex can be used (worn) fororthodontic correction of teeth position together with metalbraces orclear aligners to apply additional pressure on the teeth being straightened. These rubber bands are manufactured in different sizes for use in the varying steps ofOrthodontic treatment.[10] They are often termedorthodontic elastics.
This type of rubber band was popularized by use in the military. Ranger bands are essentially sections of tire inner tubing cut into various sizes. They have the advantage of being versatile, durable, and resistant to weather and abrasion. They are commonly used for lashings, and can also be used for makeshift handle grips, providing a strong high-friction surface with excellent shock absorption.[11]
Identical loops of inner tube are used by cavers andcave divers, and in that context are calledsnoopy loops by the Britishcaving andcave diving community. When they get lost they are recognizable as a common form oflitter.[12]
Snoopy loops are easily cut from discarded car and motorcycle inner tubes using a pair of scissors. A knife cut may leave a notched edge which can lead to tearing. Varying sizes of inner tube are used for different tasks. Uses in caving include sealing cuffs of oversuits and collars of boots against the ingress of water, holding kneepads and elbow pads in place or securing dive lines to small rocks.[13] and have been used for first aid for strapping injured joints tightly in place.[14]
Technical divers use small snoopy loops made from bicycle inner tubes to prevent backup lights clipped to a dive harness from dangling, and larger loops cut from car tubes are used to stow hoses against sling or sidemount cylinders.
The exact origin is unknown and has been subject to much speculation.[15] The practice of using snoopy Loops has been claimed to have originated inGreece and spotted byCave Diving Group members in the late 1970s. The practice was then propagated inYorkshire Dales.[15] Another claim is that snoopy loops were named by Dave Morris, aCave Diving Group caver who noticed how they 'snooped' around boulders. It was considered a ridiculous name at the time.[15] None of these claims are particularly plausible as the use is obvious and is likely to have originated independently in several places at earlier dates.
Inanimal husbandry, rubber bands are used fordocking and castration of livestock. The procedure involvesbanding the body part with a tight latex (rubber) band to restrict blood flow. As the blood flow diminishes, the cells within the gonads die and dehydrate. The part eventually drops off.
Rubber bands have long been one of the methods of powering small free-flightmodel aircraft, the rubber band being anchored at the rear of thefuselage and connected to thepropeller at the front. To 'wind up' the 'engine', the propeller is repeatedly turned, twisting the rubber band. When the propeller has had enough turns, the propeller is released and the model launched, the rubber band then turning the propeller rapidly until it has unwound.
One of the first to use this method was pioneeraerodynamicistGeorge Cayley, who used rubber band-driven motors for powering his small experimental models. These 'rubber motors' have also been used for powering smallmodel boats.
Arubber band ball is asphere of rubber bands made by using a knotted single band as a starting point and then wrapping rubber bands around the center until the desired size is achieved. The ball is usually made from 100% rubber bands, but some instructions call for using amarble,[16] a crumpled piece ofpaper, or aping-pong ball[17] as a starting point.[18][19]
The world's largest rubber band ball as of November 19, 2008, was created by Joel Waul of Lauderhill, Florida. He is currently the World Record Holder according to theGuinness World Records.[20] The ball, which previously sat under a tarp in Waul's driveway, weighs 9,032 pounds (4,097 kg), is more than 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall (which implies about a 20.68 feet (6.30 m) circumference), and consists of more than 700,000 rubber bands. It set the world record on November 13, 2008, inLauderhill, Florida.[21] The ball is now owned byRipley's Believe It or Not!.[22][23]
Steve Milton ofEugene, Oregon, previously held the record for the biggest rubber band ball beginning in 2006. During the construction of his rubber band ball, he was sponsored byOfficeMax, who sent him rubber bands to use for his ball.[24] His ball was approximately 175,000 rubber bands, 5.479 feet (1.670 m) tall (circumference: 18.996 feet (5.790 m)), and weighed 2,088.14 kilograms (4,603.6 lb). He began building the ball, with help from his family, in November, 2005 and would store the ball in their garage.[25]
Before Steve Milton, the record was held by John Bain ofWilmington, Delaware, beginning in 1998.[26][27][28] In 2003, his ball weighed around 3,120 pounds (1,420 kg), consisting of over 850,000 rubber bands and is 1.52 metres (5 ft 0 in) tall (circumference: 4.6 metres (15 ft)). He put the ball up for auction in 2005,[29] but he and his ball participated in Guinness World Records Day 2006. The bands were donated by two companies:Alliance Rubber and Textrip Ltd./Stretchwell Inc.[19]
The former world record was set in 1978.
| Date | Name | Place | Diameter | C | Weight | Bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 13, 2008 | Joel Waul | Lauderhill, Florida | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 23 ft (7.0 m) | 4.516 t | ≈726,500 |
| Nov, 2006 | Steve Milton | Eugene, Oregon | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | 19 ft (5.8 m) | 2.3018 t | ≈175,000 |
| 1998 | John Bain | Wilmington, Delaware | 4 feet (1.2 m) | 12 feet 8 in (3.86 m) | 1.004 t | unknown |
