Plastic chairs seem to have become a familiar item in daily life because they are compact and convenient. Have you ever wondered why plastic chairs often have a round hole in the middle? They may be small, but they play a crucial role that cannot be denied.
The round hole in plastic chairs makes it easy to pick up the chairs
Many people choose plastic chairs because of their compactness and convenience. It’s easy to arrange seating positions with the flexible positions of plastic chairs. Moreover, when folding them, they can be stacked on top of each other, saving space and looking neat. With a design that includes a round hole in the middle of the chair, we can easily pick up the chair from a stack of stacked chairs by inserting our hand into the hole and pulling the chair out. This round hole helps maintain equilibrium pressure, preventing the chair from being “stuck” together.
The round hole in plastic chairs makes transportation easy
When transporting multiple chairs stacked on top of each other, we can thread a string through the round holes and secure the stack of chairs, preventing them from breaking during transportation.
Chairs with multiple holes like this distribute weight and can be easily lifted with just one finger compared to chairs without holes. Holding and moving plastic chairs becomes easier, and you can also hold multiple chairs at the same time.
Ensuring ventilation
The round hole in plastic chairs also helps prevent feeling stuffy when sitting on them. Sitting for a long time on plastic chairs can lead to stuffiness and discomfort. The hole in the middle of the chair is designed to provide airflow and heat dissipation, making us more comfortable when using them.
Avoiding chair breakage when stacking chairs
Some people believe that creating a round hole in the middle of the chair prevents the chairs from “sticking” together when stacked.
Indeed, the round hole in plastic chairs plays a significant role in chair preservation. When carrying chairs, there will be a large compressive stress concentrated in the middle of the chair, which can easily cause the chair to break. Compressive stress is a measure of the internal forces that cause deformation in an object due to external factors such as load and temperature changes. Compressive stress refers to the stress state when the material is compressed. In the case of brittle materials, exceeding the stress limit can cause them to fracture.
Correcting posture for children
This is a highly creative application of breastfeeding mothers to correct the sitting posture of their children. Some families even insert a stick into the hole to help the child maintain balance while sitting and studying. Thanks to the “self-made” tool with the round hole, parents can feel more reassured because their child sits up straight while studying.
The effect of the small round hole in the chair cannot be denied, but many people wonder why it is a circular shape rather than a square or other shape. Through various studies, manufacturers have found that square or most other shapes tend to concentrate forces at the corners, resulting in chair breakage and affecting users. Meanwhile, a circular shape has no corners, allowing for better force dissipation. Moreover, manufacturers do not use an oval shape because a circular shape is simpler and much easier to implement.