How Rollers Defy the Laws of Physics
Utility skates are based on a simple technology: the roller. A roller is basically a long wheel. It’s a very simple design built to make moving heavy things easy, but how do they do that exactly?
The Physics Problems
Gravity is the universal force that pulls objects down towards the Earth’s center. And the more mass something has, the more gravity tries to keep is stuck on the ground. Essentially, gravity is why big things are heavy. There’s so much gravitational force pulling down on them that they can be almost impossible to move. If, however, you can reduce friction, it is possible.
So, What Is Friction?
Friction is the force that stops two objects from sliding against each other. It’s why heavy things are hard to move. For example, you can slide a glass of water across a table relatively easily. That’s because the glass isn’t very heavy, and the table is flat and smooth. There’s not a lot of friction. Change the glass to a bucket and the table to a gravel path, however, and it suddenly becomes much harder to move because there’s a lot more friction.
When something is heavy and on a hard surface—like an industrial crane on concrete—there are big friction problems. This is because the weight and gravitational pull on the crane are so strong that any lateral movement is impossible. So, when trying to move huge objects, you essentially need something that defies the laws of physics.
Rollers: The Solution
When it comes to moving big things, rollers are a time-tested solution. By breaking the gravitational bond between two surfaces (by being placed between the objects), rollers reduce friction—allowing seemingly unmovable objects to easily be moved from one point to another.
Rollers are basically a variation of the wheel. A key difference between rollers and wheels, however, is that while wheels are tall and narrow, rollers are short and wide. This difference in the surface contact area is the reason rollers are so strong. It increases the load-carrying capacity immensely, allowing even the heaviest objects to defy the law of physics.
Rollers don’t turn gravity off, of course, but they reduce its effect so much that you don’t really even notice it. They’re really the only practical solution to moving heavy objects, which is why they’ve been used for moving structures for centuries.
Leave the Heavy Lifting to Our Rollers
Hevi-Haul rollers can literally carry tons of weight. And their incredible load capacity can be doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled if you place a skate under each corner of an object. That’s why so many warehouse managers keep a set of rollers on site—because they know how easy our skates make moving machines and equipment.
For premiere skates and easy industrial moving, choose customizable roller skates from Hevi-Haul. Contact us today for more information.
