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O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

(OP)
I'm designing a pipe crawler to operate inside common PVC pipe.  I'm looking for an appropriate material for the wheels to get a nice high coefficient of friction. I'm thinking of using a simple o-ring style wheel. Right now I'm looking at silicone o-ring, but if anyone has any suggestions as to what material may be more appropriate, with a higher coefficient of friction with wet PVC, please advise.

RE: O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

A 90 durometer polyurethane o-ring would be a better choice than silicone, if too expensive you can also use a 90 durometer Nitrile material.  

RE: O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

(OP)
Thanks for the tip. I'll look into the polyurethane.

RE: O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

In case of polyurethane you should bear in mind what the "wet" conditions are. If the medium is water Polyurethane undergoes hidrolysis easily. In that case you may use a Ether Type polyurethane rather than an ester type Polyurethane (most common)

RE: O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

how does one start designing a pipe crawler..can anybody care to share links on this coz i've got little design knowledge ..thks

RE: O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel

(OP)
When I first started designing my pipe crawler, I visited some septic system professionals in my area.  They were nice enough to give me a tour of their facilities, explain the kind of work that they do, and show us how some of their equipment worked. I got more information from this hour long face-to-face question and answer time than I did with hours of searching online. If you are just starting out designing a pipe crawler, I would suggest speaking with someone who already uses the existing crawlers on the market.   

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