Bellows, Rubber Bellows, Rubber Bellow, Rubber Dust Boots, Rubber Convoluted Boots

In many applications bellow ventilation is a critical design feature to prevent pressure or vacuum conditions when the rubber bellow is actuated in the application. Ventilation can be accomplished in a number of manners, but typically is accomplished with the addition of breather holes in the bellow. For harsh environments, Columbia has a range of filters that can be assembled into the bellow to help prevent the introduction of large foreign particles into the application. In addition to breather holes Columbia also offers various types of custom assembly interfaces as shown below.

Rubber Bellows Connectors function as the interface between the convoluted bellows region of the boot and the assembly (application) and are used to secure the two ends of the bellow to the assembly. Connectors are highly customizable to unique application interfaces and can be designed to include holes, mechanical locks, clamping surfaces and many other features. A sampling of these designs are detailed as follows:

Material	Abbreviation	Temperature Range (dry heat)	Aging Weathering, Ozone	Resistance to Oil & Grease	Water Swell Resistance	Flex-Fatigue	Economy of Material	Material Notes
Chloroprene (Neoprene)	CR	-40F to 250F	Good	Good	Average	Very Good	Good	exposure to refrigerants, can be compounded for FDA applications
Nitrile	NBR	-22F to 212F	Poor	Very Good	Good	Good	Very Good	excellent resistance to petroleum based oils and hydrocarbon fuels
Ethylene-Propylene	EPDM, EPM	-60F to 300F	Very Good	Poor	Very Good	Good	Very Good
Silicone	VMQ	-75F to 450F	Very Good	Average	Very Good	Very Good	Average	medical and aerospace applications
Fluorocarbon	FKM	5F to 390F	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Average	Poor

Columbia TM brand Rubber Bellows are available in a range of performance rubber, TPE, and silicone materials specifically engineered for a variety of applications. Customers can select from our current material catalogue or we can develop a new material for your unique application. The more common materials utilized for below applications are as follows:

Legend
Feature:	Reference:	Requirement:
A1	Connector 1	Inside Diameter (ID)
A2	Connector 1	Connector Height
A3	Connector 2	Inside Diameter (ID)
A4	Connector 2	Connector Height
L - max	Bellows Length	Maximum Extension
L -min	Bellows Length	Minimum Extension
C1 - min	Bellows ID	Application Min. Allowable (ID)
C2 - max	Bellows ID	Application Max Allowable (ID)
D1	Bellows Wall	Wall Thickness - Continuous
E1	Bellow OD	Application Max Allowable (OD)

Rubber Bellows can be engineered in a number of structures to meet various application requirements. The most common structure is composed of two connectors and a convolution region where the connectors provide the assembly interface and the convolution (bellows) region provides for the design application travel. These features are detailed as follows:

Columbia offers a range of engineered bellow designs across three bellow categories. More information on the bellow designs available by selecting the image link below.

Columbia’s experienced team can develop and
manufacture a Custom Bellow designed specifically for your application. Please forward your application details, prints & specifications or
contact our bellow team. Our Custom Bellow
RFQ form is available to assist you with your RFQ.

Columbia TM brand bellows and convoluted rubber dust boots are versatile seals used in a wide range of applications to seal dust and other environmental elements in applications with a stroke or designed range of motion. Rubber bellows and convoluted dust boots can be custom designed for the application and are available in a range of rubber materials including EPDM, TPE and Silicone.

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