Polyurethane vs. Metal, Plastic and Rubber
Compare Polyurethanes to The Performance of Metals, Plastics and Conventional Rubber
Polyurethanes have many advantages over metals, plastics, and conventional rubbers:
| vs. Metal | vs. Plastics | vs. Rubber |
|---|---|---|
| Lightweight | High Impact Resistance | High Abrasion Resistance |
| Noise Reduction | Elastic Memory | High Cut & Tear Resistance |
| Abrasion Resistance | Abrasion Resistance | Superior Load Bearing Capacity |
| Corrosion Resistance | Noise Reduction | Thick Section Molding Without a Cure Gradient |
| Resilience | Variable Coefficient of Friction | Colorability |
| Impact Resistance | Resilience | Oil Resistance |
| Flexibility | Thick Section Molding | Ozone Resistance |
| Easily Moldable | Lower Cost Tooling | Radiation Resistance |
| Non-Conductive | Lower Temperature Resistance | Broader Hardness Range |
| Non-Sparking | Resistance to Cold Flow (or Compression Set) | Castable Nature |
| Often Lower Cost | Radiation Resistance | Lower Cost, Low Pressure Tooling |
Urethane vs. Rubber: A Closer Look
In Tension
Seldom do we use urethane elastomers in tension and then only to a small fraction of their ultimate strength. Tensile stress strain curves for several compounds are shown merely as information in the following graphs:
