Mastering Frictional Force in Cam Strap Design
Our cam straps are designed to reduce friction at a single critical point in the design. While you need proper frictional force to keep your load secure, you need it in the right place to tighten your strap effectively.
But what is frictional force? Dictionaries simplify the concept by explaining it is two surfaces rubbing together. But there is more to it. Friction is energy resistance; it is resistance created when surfaces contact one another.
The Khan Academy defines friction as "a force between two surfaces that prevents those surfaces from sliding or slipping across each other." Think of it this way: it is the force that prevents car tires from slipping on the road.
Cam Strap Friction
We make cam straps for Overlanding. We make cam straps for kayaking. We make them for camping, moving, and any activity or adventure requiring gear held in place with straps. Our patented system eliminates friction when pulling a strap through its buckle through the brass roller. Minimizing friction allows you to pull the strap tighter.
A typical ratchet strap forces you to pull the strap over a solid body that doesn't move. This creates high friction levels between a small area where the webbing comes into contact with the solid body. This reduces the overall ability to tighten a standard cam securely. We have eliminated the static body and replaced it with a brass roller that dissipates the frictional force making it easier and stronger when tightening your strap around a load.
Just like a pulley makes it possible to lift weighty loads with your bare hands, our cam significantly increases the amount of force you can apply using our straps. Eliminating the friction gives you the ability to pull the strap much tighter.
Strap and Load Friction
The same friction we want to minimize in our cam strap buckle should be maximized where straps encounter each load. For example, we want some element of friction between your kayak and our cam straps. That friction prevents your kayak from moving around. The greater it is, the more likely your kayak stays in place. But unlike ratchet straps, Rollercam® straps are only tightened to the optimal frictional force and risk less damage due to over-tightening.
There are also times when cam straps can be used to secure multiple objects on a trailer or in the back of a pickup truck. Imagine a truck carrying four or five crates on its bed. The crates are stacked two high. Meanwhile, straps only go over the top. There is friction between the strap and the crate it contacts. But there's also friction between the top crate and the one underneath.
The harder you can pull on your cam strap, the greater the friction between the two crates. You want as much friction as possible here. Maximum friction should prevent the bottom crate from slipping and sliding even as the top crate stays in place thanks to the strap.
We Want It Both Ways
If it seems like we want it both ways with friction, we do. Friction is a key component in making cam straps useful. Without friction, straps would not hold loads in place. But at the same time, we want to reduce friction in the buckle so as to make Rollercam cam straps the most effective strapping solution on the market.
