TYRES

FUNCTIONS.

 It acts as the primary suspension, cushioning the vehicle from the effects of a
rough surface.
 It provides frictional contact with the road surface. This allows the driving wheels
to move the vehicle.
 The tyres also allow the front wheels to steer and the brakes to slow or stop the
vehicle.

The tyre is a flexible casing which contains air. They are manufactured from reinforced
synthetic rubber with an inner layer of fabric plies, which are wrapped around bead wires
at the inner edges.

The bead wires hold the tyre in position on the wheel rim. The fabric plies are coated
with rubber, which is moulded to form the side walls and the tread of the tyre.

Behind the tread is a reinforcing band, usually made of steel, rayon, or glass fiber.
Modern tires are mostly tubeless, with a thin layer of rubber coating the inside to act as
a seal.

CONSTRUCTION OF A TUBELESS

Radial tyre

The wheel is made with a leak-proof rim and the valve is rubber mounted into a hole
formed in the well of the rim.

The tyre is made with an accurate bead, which fits tightly on to the rim. A thin rubber
layer in the interior of the tyre makes an air tight seal.

The plies of a radial tyre pass from bead to bead at 90° to the circumference, or radially.

There is a rigid belt band consisting of several layers of textile or metallic threads
running round the tyre under the tread.

Steel wire is often used in the construction of radial tyres.

Beneath the treads of radial ply tyres are usually two or three steel or four or six textile
cross braced bracing plies. These support the tread against centrifugal force, stabilize
the contact patch and increase resistance to punctures
ADVANTAGES

 It is flexible and retains high strength.

 It has good road holding and cornering power.
 In addition, radial tyres are economical due to their low ‘rolling resistance’.
 Has greatly improved grip even on wet roads. This is because the rigid belt band
holds the tread flat on the road surface, when cornering.

The rigid belt band also helps with the escape of water from under the tyre.

TYRE INFLATION PRESSURES

The pressure at which the tyres should be set is determined by a number of factors
such as:

● Load to be carried
● Number of plies
● Operating conditions
● Section of the tyre.
Tyre pressures must be set at the values recommended by the manufacturers.
Pressure will vary according to the temperature of the tyre – this is affected by
operating conditions.

Tyre pressure should always be adjusted when the tyre is cold and be checked at
regular intervals.
 Cross-ply tyre.
Relative flexure of the plies laid
alternately at 45°to each other in
cross-ply tyres tends to generate
more heat than do those in the
radial ply type

The plies are placed one upon the

other and each adjoining ply has
the bias angle of the cords running
in opposite directions. The angle
between the cords is
approximately 1000 and the cords
in each ply make an angle of
approximately 400 with the tyre
bead and wheel rim.

Radial-ply tyre
The plies are constructed so that
the cords of the tyre wall run at
right angles to the tyre bead and
wheel rim.

Cross-ply versus radial-ply tyre

Radial-ply tyres have a more flexible side wall and this, together with the braced tread,
ensures that a greater area of tread remains in contact with the road when the vehicle is
cornering.