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Suction cups are half-sphere devices made of plastic or rubber used as fasteners on smooth, non-porous surfaces like glass and metal. They create adherence through suction and can support weight. Historians believe they were first invented around the 3rd century BC using gourds, and the modern design was patented in 1882, inspired by the octopus’s sucker-like features.
A suction cup is a device usually made of a plastic or rubber product and is shaped like half of a sphere. Suction cups are not typically used on their own, but are used as fasteners. Due to their malleable nature, they can adhere to smooth surfaces. Surfaces must be non-porous as well as smooth. The suction cups can adhere to surfaces such as glass and metal. They generally cannot adhere to brick or wood unless those substances have been sanded and coated.
According to their name, suction cups create adherence through suction. When applied to a surface and pressed, they expel some of their air under the cup. When the pressure is relieved, no air can get back into the cup as long as it has been applied to a flat surface. A higher atmospheric pressure then exists under the cup, holding it in place.
If the suction cup is made of good materials and is well designed, it can stay in place for quite some time. Additionally, suction cups can support a significant amount of weight when designed and applied correctly. Suction cups are often used, in combination with a hook, to hang calendars, signs, even posters. Sometimes, they are used to adhere a carpet or floor mat to the floor. For example, plastic mats have been designed for shower and bathtub floors. Intended to prevent bathers from slipping while getting in and out of the tub, as well as while bathing, many of these plastic mats have suction cups on the bottom so they stay in place.
Historians believe that suckers were first invented around the 3rd century BC Since plastic was not an available material at the time, suckers were made from gourds cut in half. At the time, many people believed that ailments could be cured through the bloodletting process. While this is known to be an ineffective method, it survived for many centuries after this time. Gourds were applied to suck blood from internal organs. It is believed that Hippocrates was treated with this method.
The suction cup that is used in industry today was patented in 1882. The design is based on a natural biological design. The octopus has numerous sucker-like features along its arms. This was the inspiration for today’s patented suction cup.
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