Suction Cup: Theory

Suction cup
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The pressure on a suction cup as exerted by collisions of gas molecules holds the suction cup in contact with
the surface.
One cup suction lifter.
A suction cup, also known as a sucker, is a device or object that uses the
negative fluid pressure of air or water to adhere to nonporous surfaces, creating
a partial vacuum.[1]
Suction cups are peripheral traits of some animals such as octopuses and squids, and
have been reproduced artificially for numerous purposes. [2]
Contents
 1Theory
 2Calculations
 3Artificial use
 4See also
 5References
Theory[edit]
The working face of the suction cup is made of elastic, flexible material and has a
curved surface.[3] When the center of the suction cup is pressed against a flat, non-
porous surface, the volume of the space between the suction cup and the flat surface is
reduced, which causes the air or water between the cup and the surface to be expelled
past the rim of the circular cup. The cavity which develops between the cup and the flat
surface has little to no air or water in it because most of the fluid has already been
forced out of the inside of the cup, causing a lack of pressure. The pressure difference
between the atmosphere on the outside of the cup and the low-pressure cavity on the
inside of the cup keeps the cup adhered to the surface.
When the user ceases to apply physical pressure to the outside of the cup, the elastic
substance of which the cup is made tends to resume its original, curved shape. The
length of time for which the suction effect can be maintained depends mainly on how
long it takes for air or water to leak back into the cavity between the cup and the
surface, equalizing the pressure with the surrounding atmosphere. This depends on the
porosity and flatness of the surface and the properties of the cup's rim. A small amount
of mineral oil or vegetable oil is often employed to help maintain the seal.
Calculations[edit]
The force required to detach an ideal suction cup by pulling it directly away from the
surface is given by the formula:
where:
F is the force,
A is the area of the surface covered by the cup,
P is the pressure outside the cup (typically atmospheric pressure)
This is derived from the definition of pressure, which is:
For example, a suction cup of radius 2.0 cm has an area of (0.020
m)2 = 0.0013 square meters. Using the force formula (F = AP), the
result is F = (0.0013 m2)(100,000 Pa) = about 130 newtons.
The above formula relies on several assumptions:
1. The outer diameter of the cup does not change when the cup is
pulled.
2. No air leaks into the gap between the cup and the surface.
3. The pulling force is applied perpendicular to the surface so that the
cup does not slide sideways or peel off.
Artificial use[edit]
SatNav devices often ship with suction cup holders for mounting on windscreens.
GoPro camera attached to car with suction cup
Artificial suction cups are believed to have first been used in the third
century, B.C., and were made out of gourds. They were used to
suction "bad blood" from internal organs to the surface. Hippocrates is
believed to have invented this procedure. [citation needed]
The first modern suction cup patents were issued by the United
States Patent and Trademark Office during the 1860s. TC Roche was
awarded U.S. Patent No. 52,748 in 1866 for a "Photographic
Developer Dipping Stick"; the patent discloses a primitive suction cup
means for handling photographic plates during developing
procedures. In 1868, Orwell Needham patented a more refined
suction cup design, U.S. Patent No. 82,629, calling his invention an
"Atmospheric Knob" purposed for general use as a handle and
drawer opening means.[4][5]
Suction cups have a number of commercial and industrial
applications:
 To affix objects to nonporous vertical surfaces such as refrigerator doors

and tiled walls, and mooring ships[6][7]
 To move large smooth objects such as panes of glass, automobile
windscreens and raised floor tiles
 In toys such as Nerf darts
 In toilet plungers[8]
 By urban climbers, to scale buildings with smooth exterior surfaces[9]
 To grip and move non-porous object vertical or horizontal in industrial
and robotics applications
 To hold work job to perform process on it. Like to gold glass while
performing edge grinding application
On May 25, 1981, Dan Goodwin, a.k.a. SpiderDan, scaled Sears
Tower, the former world's tallest building, with a pair of suction cups.
He went on to scale the Renaissance Center in Dallas,
the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, the World Trade Center in
New York City, Parque Central Tower in Caracas, the Nippon TV
station in Tokyo, and the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. [10][11][12]
See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Suction
cups.
 Horror vacui (physics)

 Magdeburg hemispheres
 Self-sealing suction cup
References[edit]
1. ^ ""Suction Cup" m-w.com". Merriam Webster: An Encyclopædia Britannica
Company. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
2. ^ "Well-Armed Design: 8 Octopus-Inspired Technologies". livescience.com.
Retrieved July 30, 2015.
3. ^ ""Suction Cup" google.com". Google Patents. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
4. ^ "United States Patent 52,748".
5. ^ "United States Patent 82,629".
6. ^ "First inland vacuum-based mooring system installed on St. Lawrence
Seaway locks". Professional Mariner. September 2015. Retrieved 11
March 2017.
7. ^ Hands Free Mooring on YouTube
8. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2006-04-24. Archived
from the original on April 24, 2006. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
9. ^ "Man climbs skyscraper with suction cups". BBC News. 2010-09-07.
Retrieved 2012-01-27.
10. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKwRFwV5dHE
11. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMCEKy-zJE
12. ^ "αποφραξεις τιμες (Greece)". Ventouza. 25 February 2018.
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Suction cup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

One cup suction lifter.

GoPro camera attached to car with suction cup

 To affix objects to nonporous vertical surfaces such as refrigerator doors

 Horror vacui (physics)

 This page was last edited on 22 September 2020, at 06:34 (UTC).

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