Monday, 3 September 2012

The Components of a Tyre

By Darren Wallaby


Tyres are one of the very important components in a car. Even if the engine is powerful and all the other parts of the car are in good shape, if the tyres are not proper, all that efficiency would be ultimately wasted. So it is extremely essential for the tyres to be well designed and fit properly for the car to have maximum efficiency. The mileage that the car produces also depends a lot on the design of the tyres. The amount of air pressure in the tyres is also an important aspect that determines the maximum efficiency output of the car. The tyres therefore play a crucial role in the efficiency and performance of a car, or any other vehicle for that matter.

The tyres are made up of a lot of various different components that provide strength and stability to the wheels. The inner edges of the tyres which make contact with the rim of the wheel are lined with high strength steel cables which are coated with rubber. This component is called the Bead, and is responsible for enabling the tyre to sit firmly on the wheel rim without slipping. The bead is also responsible for handling the forces that are applied on the tyres when they are installed on the wheel rim using tyre mounting machines. There are two bands of beads, one on the inner and the other on the outer rim of the tyre.

The inner-most layer of the tyres, known as the body ply, is connected by the two bands of bead. Polyester cord is the fabric of the ply and it forms the layers that make contact with the rubber tube that is fitted inside the tyres. The cords in the fabric run perpendicular to the direction, in which the tread runs. A coating of rubber ensures that the plies adheres well to the other parts of the tyres and also ensures that air is securely sealed inside the tyres.

The strength of a tyre is often described in terms of the number of layers of plies present in the tyre. Most often, regular car tyres have two plies in them. On the other hand, you will find 30 plies or more in a large commercial airline jet. In some tyres used for high speed cars, one or two layers of plies are added just below the tread to offer greater support and to hold all the components in place. These are known as cap plies, and are optional features not seen in regular tyres. Additionally, steel belts are added just under the tread in steel-belted radial tyres to provide puncture resistance to the tyres. The steel belts also help the tyres make better contact with the road surface.

Continuity is provided between the beads and treads with the sidewall tyres, which also prevent air from escaping from inside the tyres, while providing lateral stability.

A machine that builds these tyres finally fits all these components by assembling them in position. Since the process is not complete at this point, it gets the name "green tyres." This is then passed through a curing machine to initiate the process of vulcanizing. To mould the tread patterns on the tyres' surface, heat is applied to the green tyres. This application of heat bonds the other components in place. After a few other finishing procedures are done, the tyres are declared to be ready for use.




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