A swim ring (also known as a swimming ring, swim tube, rubber ring, water donut, floatie, inner tube, or, in the United States, a lifesaver) is a

toroid In mathematics, a toroid is a surface of revolution with a hole in the middle. The axis of revolution passes through the hole and so does not intersect the surface. For example, when a rectangle is rotated around an axis parallel to one of its ...

-shaped (hence the name "ring" or " doughnut")

inflatable An inflatable is an object that can be inflated with a gas, usually with air, but hydrogen, helium and nitrogen are also used. One of several advantages of an inflatable is that it can be stored in a small space when not inflated, since inflata ...

water

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

. The swim ring was derived from the

inner tube An inner tube is an inflatable ring that forms the interior of some pneumatic tires. The tube is inflated with a valve stem, and fits inside of the casing of the tire. The inflated inner tube provides structural support and suspension, while the ...

, the inner, enclosed, inflatable part of older vehicle

tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...

s. The inner tube, when inflated, was used as a water toy, and as a floating object to lounge on. The swim ring is not designed to save individuals from drowning.

Structure

A swim ring consists of two identically-sized layers of flat

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, one of which contains a

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

. The shape of each layer is like a large

circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...

with a smaller, concentric circle removed. The two layers are joined at their inner and outer edges, sealing an air chamber inside. Swim rings (also called "swimming rings", "swimrings", "inner tubes", "innertubes", "rubber rings" or "floaty/floaties") are inflated with air and worn around the user's torso, usually just under the arms or sat upon, to hold the user above the water. They come in a variety of sizes to fit children through adults, though the larger sizes are often called "swim tubes" or just "tubes". Classic variants of the swim ring include the ever-popular

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

-shaped rings, which sometimes include an additional air chamber in the shape of a forward-facing animal head on the upper side of the ring. It may be either an air chamber that directly communicates with the ring, or an independent air chamber with its own contained valve, and a variety of colorful shapes and designs have been produced over the time, ranging from popular characters to water-related animals (flamingos, swans, sea creatures...) or otherwise, and even fantasy creatures such as dragons and unicorns, sometimes featuring additional chambers besides the head one to represent limbs, tails, wings, etc. Although usually small and mostly popular among children, these animal-shaped swim rings have also started appearing in much larger, adult-size designs since 2015, also proving to be extremely popular, even by adults after many famous personalities posted pictures with those toys on social media. There are also variant forms of tubes like

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

and

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

available. Other swim ring designs include baby swim neck rings.

Use

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

s, these are commonly used on

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides require riders to s ...

s, with a person sitting in the center of the ring, legs and body leaning over the sides. Some designs even appear as more than one tube sewn together, and include 2 or 4 holes so that more than one rider can fit comfortably.

External links

Inflatable manufactured goods Physical activity and dexterity toys Swimming equipment Water toys {{Swimming-stub

Structure

Use

See also

External links