Performance Starts with Composite Rubber

Combining rubber with other materials is based on a simple principle: making the most of the complementary properties of each material to create higher performance components. Rubber is recognized for its flexibility, impact resistance and ability to absorb vibration. By combining it with other materials, these properties can be complemented to meet specific applications in the powersports arena.

Some specific examples of rubber formulations

• Natural Rubber (NR): ideal for applications that require excellent elasticity and wear resistance, such as drive belts.
• Nitrile Rubber (NR): [KS2] recognized for its resistance to oil and fuel, it is often used in seals, O Rings and cable glands.
• Silicone Rubber (VMQ): excellent for extreme temperature conditions such as those experienced by snowmobiles or all terrain vehicles.  

Advantages of Composites

Combining rubber with materials such as metal, plastic or textiles improves several essential characteristics.

• Wear Resistance: combining rubber with metal or plastic increases the durability of components subjected to extreme conditions such as rough terrain or temperature changes.
• Flexibility: by staying flexible, rubber can absorb shock and vibration while retaining the required rigidity when it is reinforced with metal or textiles.
• Durability: rubber components are designed to resist highly demanding conditions, extending the life of other components of motorsport vehicles.

Rubber and Metal

• Applications: Shock absorbers, electric motor mounts.
• Advantages: Rubber combined with metal creates components that combine rigidity and flexibility. For instance, in shock absorbers and electric motor mounts, this combination is essential for absorbing shock and vibration while providing the required strength to withstand high loads. Metal provides mechanical strength while rubber reduces vibration and noise, improving the comfort and durability of the vehicle.

Rubber and Plastic

• Applications: Liquid-containing tanks, fairings.
• Advantages: Rubber combined with plastic is ideal for applications that require light weight and corrosion resistance such as liquid containing tanks and fairings. This combination is used to manufacture components that are both light, robust and leak-tight, able to withstand chemical attack and impacts while maintaining a high degree of flexibility. The lightness of plastics along with the leak-tightness of rubber makes them an excellent choice for equipment that has to be both durable and easy to handle.

Rubber and Textiles

• Applications: Tires, drive belts.
• Advantages: Incorporating textiles into rubber composites such as tires and drive belts reinforces their structure and increases tensile strength. Textile fibers increase dimensional stability and resistance to deformation under load, which is essential for components subject to high tensile forces. This structural reinforcement means that tires can be produced that can withstand extreme driving conditions or drive belts that are resistant to wear, extending the life of the propulsion system.

• In off-road motorbikes, shock absorbers ensure good grip and absorb shocks when driving on rough terrain. Rubber combined with metal in the shock absorbers reduces vibration and improves the stability of the vehicle, even under the most arduous conditions. For instance, nylon reinforced tires provide better grip on muddy surfaces.
• Quad bikes and SSVs, often used on demanding terrain, use rubber mixtures to optimize their suspensions and transmission systems. These composites combine wear resistance, flexibility and the ability to absorb shocks so that vehicles not only have better performance, they are also more durable. This is particularly the case when they have to tackle difficult terrain and harsh conditions.
• Belts and suspensions on snowmobiles are subject to extreme cold, with temperatures as low as -40 °F (-40 °C). The rubber used must retain its flexibility and strength. Rubber composites reinforced with textiles or metals provide effective grip and good shock absorption in snow and ice, ensuring optimum performance and increased safety for the occupants.

Materials selection in the motorsports arena is essential for ensuring optimum performance and improved safety.

As a leader in the field of rubber solutions, Soucy Baron is committed to providing high quality products that meet the demanding requirements found in motorsports applications. We are developing tailored composites that optimize durability and performance while ensuring the safety of the vehicle occupants.