14 – Tire Engineering

Publisher Summary This chapter explores design, materials, testing, and manufacturing of tires. The discovery of vulcanization by Charles Goodyear in 1839 and the industrialization of Europe and North America enabled the tire to evolve from a rubberized canvas covering a rubber tube to a complex fabric, steel, and elastomeric composite. In terms of both volume production and consumer awareness, tires fall into essentially nine categories which are based on vehicle application. There are tires for racing vehicles, passenger vehicles, and light trucks where gross vehicle weights typically do not exceed 7250 kg. In such tires, significant quantities of fabric are used as reinforcement. The mechanical properties of a tire describe the tire's characteristics in response to the application of load, torque, and steering input, resulting in the generation of external forces and deflection. A tire is essentially a cord/rubber composite. Tires have plies of reinforcing cords extending transversely from bead to bead, on top of which a belt is located below the tread.