Blickle wheel series info box

Tread and tire hardness. Smooth operation and floor preservation.

To make it easier for you to choose the correct product, we provide a Blickle info box for each wheel series. This provides an overview of the tread and tire hardness of a wheel, its smooth operation and floor preservation, rolling resistance and wear resistance.

Tread and tire hardness is rated on a scale from very soft to very hard, while the other categories are rated from satisfactory to outstanding.

Tread and tire hardness
SecondBoxGreen
65 Shore A
Smooth operation and floor preservation
Scale – five green dots
excellent
Rolling resistance
Scale – four green dots
very good
Wear resistance
Scale – three green dots
good


Tread and tire hardness

The tread & tire hardness is indicated in the info box in images on the product pages. The further the marking is to the right, the harder the tread. Hardness for

 

There is no linear correlation between the various hardness testing methods. The values in the graphic were determined empirically and are provided for reference purposes.

Hardness range
Material Tread and tire hardness
Pneumatic tire / soft rubber
FirstBoxGreen
50-60 Shore A
Elastic solid rubber
SecondBoxGreen
65 Shore A
Super-elastic solid rubber
SecondBoxGreen
70 Shore A
Standard solid rubber
ThirdBoxGreen
80 Shore A
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), soft
ThirdBoxGreen
80 Shore A
Thermoplastic rubber-elastomer (TPE)
ThirdBoxGreen
85 Shore A
Polyurethane 75 Shore A
ThirdBoxGreen
75 Shore A
Polyurethane 92 Shore A
FourthBoxGreen
92 Shore A
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), hard
FourthBoxGreen
92–98 Shore A
Polypropylene
FifthBoxGreen
60 Shore D
Nylon
FifthBoxGreen
70 Shore D
Cast nylon
FifthBoxGreen
80 Shore D
Cast iron / steel
FifthBoxGreen
180–230 HB

Smooth operation and floor preservation

The higher the score in this category, the quieter the wheel is and the easier it is on surfaces.

Floor preservation
Hard treads put more strain on a floor than softer treads. A tread with five points in the smooth operation and floor preservation category has exceptionally good floor preservation qualities.

Floor surface preservation is measured on the basis of average floor pressure. Reference values for each tread material are provided to the right.

Smooth operation
In principle, vehicles tend to be quieter when they have large wheels with soft thick treads. Hard treads result in higher levels of noise than soft treads. A high score in the smooth operation and floor preservation category would therefore lead to expect low levels of vibration and noise emission when transporting goods.

Hard wheels can also be used with low levels of noise and a high degree of operational comfort when transporting light loads on a soft surface (e.g. carpet).

Calculating average floor pressure
The average floor pressure is calculated by dividing the radial force [N] by the wheel contact surface [mm²].

Material Smooth operation / floor preservation Average floor pressure
Pneumatic tire / soft rubber
Scale – five green dots
0,8 N/mm²
Elastic solid rubber
Scale – four green dots
1,8 N/mm²
Super-elastic solid rubber
Scale – four green dots
1,5 N/mm²
Standard solid rubber
Scale – four green dots
3,5 N/mm²
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), soft
Scale – four green dots
4,0 N/mm²
Thermoplastic rubber-elastomer (TPE)
Scale – three green dots
4,5 N/mm²
Polyurethane 75 Shore A
Scale – four green dots
3,5 N/mm²
Polyurethane 92 Shore A
Scale – three green dots
8,0 N/mm²
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), hard
Scale – three green dots
11,0 N/mm²
Polypropylene / nylon
Scale – two green dots
40,0 N/mm²
Cast nylon
Scale – two green dots
60,0 N/mm²
Cast iron / steel
Scale – one green dot
>350 N/mm²

Starting, rolling and swivel resistance

Starting resistance reflects the amount of force required to get the wheel in motion when it is at a standstill. Rolling resistance refers to the amount of force required to keep the wheel moving in a uniform manner. Starting and rolling resistance are affected by the following factors:

  • wheel diameter
  • tread geometry
  • tread & tire hardness
  • rebound resilience of the tread
  • wheel bearing
  • surface

 

Rolling resistance occurs as a result of the constant compression and decompression of the tread while the wheel is rolling (hysteresis).

Rolling resistance is measured using a test bench. Measurements are taken under ideal conditions:

  • level, smooth, steel surface free of dirt and obstacles
  • speed: 4 km/h
  • temperature: +20 °C
  • load: ⅔ of max. load capacity

 

These standardised conditions make it possible to compare the rolling resistances of different wheel series.

Material Rolling resistance
Pneumatic tire / soft rubber
Scale – three green dots
good
Elastic solid rubber
Scale – four green dots
very good
Super-elastic solid rubber
Scale – three green dots
good
Standard solid rubber
Scale – two green dots
satisfactory
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), soft
Scale – four green dots
very good
Thermoplastic rubber-elastomer (TPE)
Scale – four green dots
very good
Polyurethane 75 Shore A (Softhane®)
Scale – four green dots
very good
Polyurethane 75 Shore A (Besthane® Soft)
Scale – five green dots
excellent
Polyurethane 92 Shore A (Extrathane®)
Scale – four green dots
very good
Polyurethane 92 Shore A (Besthane®)
Scale – five green dots
excellent
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), hard
Scale – four green dots
very good
Polypropylene / nylon
Scale – five green dots
excellent
Cast nylon
Scale – five green dots
excellent
Cast iron / steel
Scale – five green dots
excellent

Different application conditions (surface quality, temperature, speed, etc.) must be taken into consideration when designing the running gear and can have a significant impact on rolling resistance.

Swivel resistance is the resistance required to align swivel casters in the direction of travel.

Swivel resistance is affected by the following factors:

  1. Contact area of the wheel: The contact area of the wheel rotates around its center when the swivel caster turns. This causes friction. The resistance is dependent on the interaction between the surface and the wheel tread, in addition to the size of the contact area.
  2. Resistance of the swivel head: The structure and quality of the swivel head have an impact on its swivel resistance.
  3. Offset of the swivel caster: The swivel resistance of the swivel caster is influenced by the distance between the center of the swivel head and the center of the contact area.

 

Wear resistance

The higher the point score in this category, the greater the wear resistance of the wheel.

In addition to other factors, the wear resistance incorporates the resistance to abrasion of elastomers or thermoplastic elastomers in accordance with ISO 4649. The resistance of other tread materials to abrasion was tested in accordance with ISO 4649.

Tread materials are assigned to different abrasion resistance categories in the graphic to the right.

Material Wear resistance
Pneumatic tire / soft rubber
Scale – two green dots
satisfactory
Elastic solid rubber
Scale – three green dots
good
Super-elastic solid rubber
Scale – three green dots
good
Standard solid rubber
Scale – one green dot
adequate
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), soft
Scale – three green dots
good
Thermoplastic rubber-elastomer (TPE)
Scale – two green dots
satisfactory
Polyurethane 75 Shore A
Scale – four green dots
very good
Polyurethane 92 Shore A
Scale – five green dots
excellent
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), hard
Scale – four green dots
very good
Polypropylene
Scale – two green dots
satisfactory
Nylon
Scale – three green dots
good
Cast nylon
Scale – four green dots
very good
Cast iron / steel
Scale – five green dots
excellent