About Pool Toys!

A pool toy is an inflatable device used as a plaything in a swimming pool. Pool toys come in many shapes and sizes, including animals, beach balls, rings, mattresses, objects and more! Pool toys are normally produced using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Seams on pool toys are closed using radio-frequency welding rather than adhesives.

About Inflatables!

Besides pool toys there is a lot of other inflatables. Including balloons, balloon toys such as balloon dogs. There are also hoppers, hoppers are toys that allow the user to sit on them and move them forward using their elastic properties. Large sized inflatables include inflatable pools, bouncy castles, inflatable waterslides, and inflatable obstacle courses.

What causes things to be inflated?

All inflatables rely on the ability to hold air within a sealed space. When air is added into a sealed space, it creates an internal pressure that pushes outward in all directions. This pressure puts the material under high tension, and because of this, it causes the force to spread across the surface so the object keeps its shape and can resist outside forces by people and support them. There are also two main types of inflatable structures, sealed inflatables and continuous flow inflatables. For sealed inflatables, air is pumped in once and held in place by a valve and an airtight seal, and these include things like pool toys and balloons. For continuous flow inflatables, air is supplied at all times by a blower, and because of this, it causes air to slowly escape while still maintaining pressure inside the structure.

Different types of pumps.

There are manual pumps (hand & foot). Hand pumps use a piston inside a cylinder. Pulling the handle draws air in, pushing it compresses and forces air into the inflatable. Foot or hand pumps, compress a flexible chamber when stepped on or squeezed. Then there is electric pumps. For electrical pumps fans draw in air and push it outwards, creating an airflow into the inflatable. Some more high-pressure models use reciprocating pistons for denser inflation for example, paddleboards. For bouncy castles or larger structures continuous blowers are used. These systems rely more on airflow rate than pressure. The structure is “inflated” not through trapping air, but by continuously replacing it with outside air. This design is safer because when it's punctured, the structure deflates slower.

Valves.

Sealed inflatables like pool toys use simple flexible check valves that let air in but stop it from coming back out, and these include flap valves, plug valves, and slit valves made from soft rubber material. These valves open when air is pushed in and then close when the pressure inside pushes back. The seal comes from the soft material and the pressure difference, which keeps the valve shut and holds air inside. There is also steady pressure inside, which presses the valve more tightly into place and reduces air loss.

Squeak Squeak!

Have you ever though what causes a pool toy or other inflatable to squeak sometimes, such as when under stress? Well the answer is materials like PVC or latex rubber are slightly grippy at a microscopic level. So when an object rubs against something, due to friction it sticks then slips, then it sticks again, this proccess repeats again and again until they stop rubbing together. This cycle creates vibrations in the air which your ears hear as a squeak. There is also more tension in an inflated object, so it is more prone to friction and squeaking. It is high pitched because the vibrating bit is light and tight, so its natural frequencies are high, giving a high pitch.

Harmonics.

Harmonics in a pool or wave generator come from the way water forms repeating waves with crests and troughs. When waves move across the pool, they reflect off the walls also known as a boundary in harmonics and interact with incoming waves, and this creates stable patterns at certain frequencies. There is also a main pattern called the fundamental wave, and because of this, it causes the water to move in one large rise and fall across the pool. Higher harmonics form when more crests and troughs fit into the same distance, and this makes the surface pattern more complex. In a pool wave generator, machines push the water back and forth at specific frequencies. When those frequencies match the pool’s natural wave shape, the waves reinforce each other, forming strong, regular patterns and increasing the wave height.

Indoor Pool

I like this image because it reminds me of the touch pool in Animal Jam's Crystal Sands. It is very blue and relaxing to look at, with lots of cool fish swimming around.

Sea Dragon

The manufacturer of this pool toy is Puffy Paws. It is a sea dragon and stands about 7 feet tall. The creator of the design is Baphnedia.

Sound Library!