O-ring Pipe Crawler Wheel 1

[pmcg]

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.

 

[sealguy]

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.

 

[pmcg]

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into the polyurethane.

 

[1399]

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)

 

[sha]

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

 

[pmcg]

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.