Scientists study physics of rolling rubber band

ERJ staff report (DS)

Paris -- Scientists are studying how a rubber band rolls down an incline, depending on its size, speed and flexibility. Initially the band rolls more or less as a circle, but as the band becomes more flexible, the top surface collapses down, until eventually it makes contact with the lower surface of the band.

A joint research project between Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and École Polytechnique in Paris studied a silicone rubber band. It was made to roll down the inside surface of a rotating drum, so that scientists could vary the speed of rolling.

After observing the behaviour, scientists built a mathematical model based on gravity, stiffness, centrifugal forces and other forces to describe the behaviour.

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Abstract of article from Physics Review Letters Volume 105 Issue 4

The Physics of a Rolling Rubber Band from Science (US)