We all have seen different types of tires on the roads. Almost every substance which moves on the road has tires. Basically, a tire is a black-colored round-shaped product without which we cannot run a vehicle. So, we can say it is a daily used product but most of us don’t know about the manufacturing of a tire. This article is designed for this specific purpose to know about how tires are made. or how are car tires made?
How Are Rubber Tires Made?
Tires are an integral part of any vehicle and they are the only tires that support the whole vehicle to be moved. The making of tires has a specific and maintained manufacturing style. Before going through the manufacturing of tires, it would be more appropriate to know about the structure of tires. As we come to know about the structure of tires it would be easier to understand the manufacturing of tires.
Structure of Tires:
The structure of a tire is based on different parts and the main parts are considered as NINE. Here we will learn the tire structure from the inside out. This structure would help us to understand how tires are made or how car tires are made.
1. Beads
We would start with tire beads because beads hold the tire from the rim. These are made from high-strength braided steel coated in rubber and help the tires not to slide while rolling. Some copper, brass, or bronze-plated and tensile steel wires are constructed in rubber to make tire beads.
2. Bead Fillers
By following the structure inside out the second part comes with the name of bead fillers. Bead fillers are placed by the manufacturers inside the beads to maintain the stability of the lower sidewall and bead area. These are somewhat rubber compounds that control the density and stiffness of tires.
3. Body Plies
The body plies are the layers that make the basic structure of tires. These utilized plies are made of fiber lines that are woven together and covered with rubber. The fibers used in making these plies are nylon, rayon, or polyester as well.
4. Inner Liner
An inner liner is also a rubber compound that is connected with body plies and prevents air from penetrating the tires. The thing to remember is that modern tires do not have inner liners or we can say, it is the innermost layer of tubeless tires. All and all tire beads, bead filler, and inner liner work together to hold air within the tire walls.
5. Belt
A belt is a type of strong layer of cord that is placed around the tire which provides stability and strength to the tread of tires. The main material that is used in structuring the belt is steel which improves the tire mileage, impact resistance, and traction.
6. Sidewall
The total area from bead to tread is called the sidewall of the tires. This area is made with extra thick rubber because it protects the sides of tires from curbs and roads. An important feature of the sidewall is, that you can find the details of the manufacturer written on the sidewall of the tires.
7. Tread
The tread of the tire is basically a soft area of the tire that meets the road while you are driving. The work of tread is to maintain the grip of the tires and also makes the rider feel comfortable while driving by adding the feature of cushioning to the tires.
8. Shoulder
There is a small edge on the tire, where the tread meets the sidewall that is called the shoulder. It is to help the tires maintain stability while turning from the corners.
9. Sipes and Grooves
There are many areas on the tires where treads are separated and make some blocks on the tires. These are called grooves that help the tires to disperse water and mud and maintain traction in such areas. Sipes on the other hand the small cuts on the tires are helpful in driving while moving on icy or snowy roads.
Tire Making Process:
After having a keen observation of the tire structure we would come to know about how tires are made step by step.
1. Blending
The fundamental assembling measure for a spiral tire begins with a slender layer of water/airproof engineered rubber that begins with blending various sorts of rubber and mixing it in a gigantic blender to make a dark gum-like compound.
2. Development of Blended Material
After having a dark gum-like compound, it’s time to separate the compound into further five components.
- Natural rubber is the main component of a tire.
- Synthetic rubber is for the tread of cars, vans, and 4×4 tires.
- Silica and carbon black to increase the durability of tires.
- Metallic and textile cords make the skeleton of tires and provide rigidness.
- Chemical agents provide some ultra grip to the tires.
3. Building of Tires
Here comes the tire built-up procedure. In this procedure, the manufacturers create the design of tires as per the requirement or the model number. Here we can understand how tires are made and how car tires are made from the inside out. The procedure of beads, beads fillers, body plies, inner liner, belt, sidewall, tread, shoulder, groovers, and sipes are done in this area of tire making. So, this portion is all about how are tires made step by step and even how are run-flat tires made.
4. Quality Curing
Till this step, the tire is green and after that green tire gets through a procedure in a curing machine in which the machine compresses all the parts and gives the tire a final look. The process of marking is also done in this phase of tire making.
5. Quality Check
It is the final process of how tires are made. In this procedure, different quality check inspectors examine the quality of the tires one by one. Sometimes quality checkers cut the tires to check if the tires are up to the mark according to the company manufacturing criteria of making the tires.
Design of Tire and Its Impact on Driving
There are different features included in a tire and these features have different impacts on our driving. Let’s discuss some of them.
Grooves:
Grooves help the tires to pump out the water when you are driving in rain or any watery area.
Tire Shape:
The shape of the tire helps us to turn the vehicle in different situations.
Tread Block:
The tread blocks in the rubber are for better traction on dry roads.
Thin Sipes:
Thin sipes in the tread area are for better traction in wet and icy situations.
Self-Locking Sipes:
These are to reduce the rigidness in the tread pattern.
Conclusion
To conclude this article, we could say that a reader would understand all about the tire structure as well as how tires are made. And, we have designed this article to understand how are tires made step by step. This is a worth reading article to get awareness about the features of tires and how these tires help us while driving in different situations.