Quote:
Originally Posted by craigboez
I don't think they need to adhere, but I think the roller will perform better if they do adhere.
Intuitively, it seems like the roller could more effectively deal with axial loads if the soft material adhered to the hard material. If the two materials are allowed to slip relative to one another the hard inner core can't transmit the axial load and the soft outer material would be forced to deal with it. Given it's soft durometer, it would deform under load. This would result in a less efficient non-round wheel and would probably also reduce the lifespan of the roller.
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Well you've got a valid concern there, but it depends on how soft the "soft material" is, and what the cross-sectional area is of the roller end. The soft material has to be hard enough not to deform excessively under radial load, and if so I would think a thrust washer (with Teflon shims) at each end of the roller would work nicely to handle the axial load and friction.
If you do a "double pour" (with a harder inner core) that does not preclude the use of an embedded Teflon sleeve for lowest friction.