An article about the creation of tires will help you find out how tires were invented and changed, and what made them so stable, reliable, durable and wear-resistant.
Today it is difficult to imagine that once upon a time there were no tires on the wheels of a car. This was in the era of the first cars and wooden wheels. True, even with light use they quickly deteriorated and required replacement. The invention of a wheel reinforced with a steel rim (the prototype of a modern disk) solved this problem, but this technology did not give the desired results.
The story of the creation of car tires
Robert William Thompson was the first to use tires made of elastic material to increase the comfort and safety of a car in 1846, developed a tire design and patented his invention. The tire invented by Thompson was also called the “air wheel.” It was a chamber made of thick canvas, soaked in a solution of rubber or gutta-percha, and lined on the outside with pieces of leather.
Thompson's initiatives were picked up by others who invented them. Numerous experiments by enthusiasts were crowned with success: a rubber pneumatic tire was invented, with a tire separated from the tube. The advent of the pneumatic wheel made driving smoother. The tires themselves have become stronger and more durable (these parameters were absent in the first variations of the invention).
Discovery of vulcanization
An article about the invention of tires is impossible without mentioning Charles Goodyear.
The vulcanization process made it possible to organize the production of a truly durable, yet elastic tire. American inventor Charles Goodyear did not even suspect in 1839 that the technology he created for producing rubber by combining rubber and sulfur would become an integral part of the production of automobile tires.
In the 1830s, Goodyear was involved in the production of rubberized shoes and cloth. At his enterprise he produced rubber toys, clothes, shoes, and umbrellas. However, the properties of this material did not allow the goods to be of high quality: rubber melted at high temperatures, was fragile and had other disadvantages.
Goodyear took this problem seriously. Through experimentation, he learned that heating rubber mixed with sulfur gave the material the necessary strength, not only on the surface, but throughout its entire thickness. It is safe to say that 1839 is the time of the invention of rubber for cars.
Goodyear Company. Foundation and first years of work
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was registered in 1898 in the USA. The history of Goodyear tires began that day. The founder, Frank Sieberling, named his company after the same inventor of vulcanization technology.
From the very foundation of the company, its products have become in demand and purchased. Just 4 years later, in 1901, the company began to create tires for the car of the famous Henry Ford. The Model T, famous in those years, was equipped with Goodyear tires.
In 1907, the chairman of the board of the brand received a patent for the removable tire he invented. This Goodyear technology is used everywhere today.
Experiments, constant improvement of product characteristics and the introduction of new technologies allowed the concern to become the world's largest manufacturer of automobile tires and other rubber products by 1926.
Expansion of activities
In the period from 1927 to the present day, the company has been actively developing, developing new production capabilities, improving designs, and designing tires not only for cars, but also for aircraft. In 1971, the manufacturer released tires for the Apollo 14 lunar rover. The tread imprints of these tires remained on the moon for centuries.
During these years, scientific and technical centers and representative offices were opened in many countries around the world, and agreements were concluded with well-known brands. All this allows Goodyear to be one step ahead of its competitors - the company is the first to introduce innovative solutions, introducing new products with improved characteristics to the market.
It is also worth mentioning the impeccable reputation of the brand. Goodyear has repeatedly taken top positions in ratings of the most responsible and reliable companies.
About Goodyear Manufacturing
Based on the history of tire creation, experience and traditions, today the company maintains one of the leading positions among car tire manufacturers. The brand's factories carry out a full cycle of work to create a high-quality tire: from designing a tire and creating a rubber compound to releasing and testing a new product.
Goodyear automobile tires are created on the most modern production lines. Adjusting production processes, the composition of the rubber mixture, improving the tread pattern and adding functional inserts make it possible to produce new models designed for different categories of motorists (residents of northern regions, off-road, trucks, etc.).
Rubber and silica are the main components of a tire.
A pneumatic car tire is a high-tech design that can hold air under pressure. Thanks to the invention of Charles Goodyear, today's car tires are a mixture of natural and artificial rubber, carbon black, sulfur, silicon and synthetic compounds. All these components pass through a mixer during production, resulting in a sheet of raw rubber.
Silica is another material used in modern production. This acid, which improves the elasticity and grip characteristics of rubber, was discovered back in the 50s of the last century. The process of developing technology for adding silica to the mixture in tire production started relatively recently. This is explained by the high cost of the material and the need to use special equipment to mix it with rubber.
Tire design
Pneumatic tires must have several elements:
- frame - the basis of the product, which consists of several layers of rubberized cord,
- sidewall - an external rubber element designed to protect the structure from external damage in the side part,
- bead - rigid attachment to the wheel on the tire,
- breaker - protects the frame from impacts and gives rigidity to the product,
- tread - grooves and grooves on the rubberized surface of the tire, ensuring no slipping and safe movement under adverse external conditions: on mud, dirt roads, wet, snowy or icy roads.
Car tires from Goodyear are constantly being improved, and structural elements acquire new properties.
Rubber- a vulcanization product of a composition containing a binder - natural or synthetic rubber.Several hundred products made of rubber are used in the design of modern cars. These are tires, tubes, hoses, seals, sealants, parts for electrical and vibration insulation, drive belts, etc. Their weight is up to 10% of the total weight of the car.
The widespread use of rubber products in the automotive industry is explained by their unique properties:
. elasticity;
. ability to absorb shock loads and vibration;
. low thermal conductivity and sound conductivity;
. high mechanical strength;
. high resistance to abrasion;
. high electrical insulating ability;
. gas and water tightness;
. resistance to aggressive environments;
. low density.
The main property of rubber is reversible elastic deformation - the ability to repeatedly change its shape and size without destruction under the influence of a relatively small external load and return to its original state after removing this load.
Neither metals, nor wood, nor polymers have this property.
In Fig. 1 is given rubber classification.
Rubber is obtained by vulcanization of a rubber mixture, which includes:
. rubber;
. vulcanizing agents;
. vulcanization accelerators;
. activators;
. antioxidants;
. active fillers or enhancers;
. inactive fillers;
. dyes;
. special purpose ingredients.
Rice. 1. .Rubber classification.
Natural rubber is a natural polymer that is an unsaturated hydrocarbon - isoprene (C5H8)n.
Natural rubber is extracted mainly from the milky sap (latex) of rubber plants, mainly from the Brazilian Hevea, which contains up to 40%.
To release rubber, latex is treated with acetic acid, under the influence of which it coagulates, and the rubber is easily separated. It is then washed with water, rolled into sheets, dried and smoked to resist oxidation and the action of microorganisms.
The production of natural rubber (NR) is expensive and does not meet industrial needs. Therefore, synthetic rubber (SR) is most widely used. The properties of SC depend on its structure and composition.
Isoprene rubber (denoted SKI) in its composition and structure is close to natural rubber, in some respects it is inferior to it, and in some respects it is superior. Rubber based on SKI is gas-tight and sufficiently resistant to the effects of many organic solvents and oils. Its significant disadvantages are low strength at high temperatures and low ozone and weather resistance.
Styrene butadiene (SBS) and methylstyrene butadiene (MSBS) SBS are most widely used in the automotive industry. Rubbers based on these rubbers have good strength properties, high wear resistance, gas impermeability, frost and moisture resistance, but are unstable when exposed to ozone, fuel and oils.
Rubber based on butadiene rubber (SKR) is elastic, wear-resistant, and has good physical and mechanical properties at low temperatures, but there are difficulties in processing rubber mixtures. It has an insufficiently strong connection with steel cord in the production of reinforced products.
Of the special purpose SC rubber, nitrile butadiene (SKN) rubber is characterized by high gasoline and oil resistance, retains its properties over a wide temperature range, provides a strong bond with metals, and therefore is used for the manufacture of metal-rubber products operating in contact with petroleum products. Disadvantage: rapid aging.
Rubbers based on fluorine rubber (FKF) and acrylate rubber (AK) have very high strength properties, are resistant to fuels, oils, many other substances, and high temperatures, but low frost resistance limits their use. Silicone rubbers have a complex of positive properties.
SA molecules are polymer chains with a small number of side branches. When heated with some vulcanizing agents, chemical bonds - “bridges” - are formed between the rubber molecules, which dramatically changes the mechanical properties of the mixture. Sulfur (1-3%) is most often used as a vulcanizing ingredient.
To speed up vulcanization, accelerators and activators are added to the rubber mixture.
An extremely important ingredient in rubber is fillers. Active fillers dramatically enhance the strength properties of rubber. Most often, carbon black (soot) plays the role of an active filler. The introduction of carbon black makes rubber more durable, increases wear resistance, elasticity, and hardness. Inactive fillers (chalk, asbestos flour, etc.) serve to increase the volume of the rubber mixture, which reduces the cost of rubber production, but does not improve its physical and mechanical properties (some fillers even worsen it).
Plasticizers (softeners) facilitate the preparation of rubber mixtures, molding of products, and also improve the elasticity of rubber at low temperatures. High-boiling oil fractions, coal tar, vegetable oils, rosin, and synthetic resins are used as plasticizers. To slow down the aging process of rubber and increase its service life, antioxidants (antioxidants, stabilizers) are added to the rubber mixture.
A special role is given to reinforcing fillers. They are not part of the rubber mixture, but are introduced at the molding stage of the product. Textile or metal reinforcement reduces the load on the rubber product and limits its deformation. They produce reinforced rubber products such as hoses, drive belts, tapes, tires, where textile and metal cords are used to enhance strength.
By selecting appropriate rubbers, rubber compound formulations, and vulcanization conditions, materials are created that have certain properties, which makes it possible to obtain products that have different performance properties, stably maintaining their qualities for a long time and ensuring the functional purpose of parts and the performance of components and assemblies.
From used rubber products, a regenerate is produced using a special technology, which is added to the rubber mixture as a substitute for part of the rubber. However, rubber, which contains reclaimed rubber, does not have good performance properties, and therefore it is used to make products (mats, rim tapes) that do not have high technical requirements.
Who invented winter tires?
The calendar of a car enthusiast is different from the calendar of an ordinary person. The change of seasons for a car owner is marked by an important event for him: the change of tires. As it turned out, not everyone knows and understands why it is necessary to “change your shoes” before and after the cold weather begins. Many perceive this only as a reason for the traffic cops to find fault. In fact, traffic safety directly depends on it, and changing tires is a vital matter!
1. Differences between summer and winter tires
The main differences between summer and winter tires are the composition of the rubber itself and the tread pattern.
Rubber, like any other material, hardens at low temperatures. Accordingly, in the cold the tire loses its softness and becomes “plastic”. This has a negative impact on the tire itself - and rather on driving safety. It is recommended to change summer tires to winter ones when the air temperature drops to +7°C. At this temperature, and even more so at lower temperatures, summer tires become unsafe.
Winter tires, due to special additives, remain soft even in the cold. Knowing this, you will understand why you should not drive on winter tires in the summer: in warm weather, and even more so in the heat, winter tires become too soft to ensure driving safety.
The tread of winter tires has a pattern made up of “checkered” patterns of various configurations. Their purpose is to provide tire traction on snowy roads. On summer asphalt, “checkered” tires are useless and even dangerous, since such a tread reduces the car’s handling.
2. When did winter tires appear?
The first attempts to create winter tires were made in Finland. The pioneer was the company Suomen Gummitehtas, later renamed, and known today as Nokian.
Winter tires went on sale in the 60s of the 20th century. They differed from summer tires only in the presence of metal parts, a prototype of modern studs. The spikes improved the wheel's grip on the road, but the rubber itself continued to crack and burst in the cold. 
The next step in the evolution of winter tires was taken by Metzeler. Its specialists, after a series of experiments, found an additive that allowed the rubber to remain elastic in the cold. This additive was silicic acid.
Meanwhile, a number of countries have banned the use of studded tires due to the fact that they have a negative impact on the road surface. Manufacturers have focused their efforts on creating tires with a special, “winter” tread pattern. Bridgestone was the first to offer studless winter tires to consumers in 1982.
Thus, we owe the emergence of modern winter tires not to any one brilliant inventor, but to the joint efforts of engineers from the world's leading tire manufacturers.
3. Tire service
It is carried out according to the same rules as summer tires. Make sure that the direction of rotation of the tires is observed during installation. Request the workshop staff to carefully balance the wheels. After installing winter tires, it would be a good idea to check and adjust the wheel alignment.
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It is difficult to imagine today's busy and technologically advanced human life without such material as rubber. But just a few centuries ago one could only dream of high-quality rubber products. Now this material is indispensable in medicine, industry, technology, and everyday life.
The appearance of rubber in people's lives happened quite suddenly, after Columbus discovered America. It originates from rubber, which was produced from the Hevea tree. Having discovered a new continent, the traveler paid attention to the development of the Indians and their everyday objects. What struck him most was the ball the children were playing with, made of an unknown material. The weighty black sphere was quite bouncy and light, far superior in quality to ordinary European leather balls.
This is how Columbus learned about trees growing in Indonesia and Brazil, cuts in which produced stretchy juice-latex. It was he who gave rise to a new material from which rubber products are made in modern times. Rubber of that time was quite often used in clothing or construction due to its waterproof properties. Over many years of improvement, many experiments were carried out with rubber, both physical and chemical, in the hope of improving its properties.
It was only in 1893 that the scientist Goodyear was able to make a modern type of rubber from rubber, which is so widely used today. Thanks to proper heat treatment, rubber was able to obtain the desired properties and forever turn into universal and durable rubber. In the twentieth century, rubber began to be actively used as a high-quality and reliable insulator, laying thousands of new electrical routes around the world.
Further more. Rubber has become an integral part of industry and human life. Rubber elements were present in household appliances, furniture, clothing, shoes, hygiene items, and dishes. As for large industrial areas, rubber has become an integral part of all processes. Today it is difficult to imagine what car tires, cutting wheels, spare parts, construction tools and much more would look like if rubber had not been produced one day as a separate type of material.
The USSR was able to put into production rubber not only of natural origin, but also synthetic, having learned to extract and synthesize rubber, and then rubber itself from natural gases, oil, and alcohol. Western scientists for a long time did not recognize this fact as possible, since for them this technology was unknown, but years later, European and American scientists recognized synthetic rubber as a reality. This allowed the USSR to step far ahead technologically and significantly save the country’s budget, avoiding expensive purchases of raw materials for rubber from Brazil or Indonesia.
Synthetic rubber was practically not inferior in properties to the natural component, but its low elasticity did not allow it to be used to make such important industrial products as automobile and aircraft tires. Over time, thanks to modern developments and constant experiments with temperature conditions and chemical components, this problem was completely resolved.
Thus, generous nature and scientific factors were able to give the world such a material as rubber, which allows the development of modern technical and medical developments, improving them with its natural properties. Today, rubber is one of the most durable, durable and versatile materials of mankind.
Rubber
Rubber
an elastic material formed by the vulcanization of natural and synthetic rubbers. Natural rubber (from the Indian “tears of a tree”: “kau” - “tree”, “uchu” - “cry”) is the hardened milky sap (latex) of the tropical Hevea plant. In con. 15th century rubber was brought to Europe. In 1839, the American inventor Charles Goodyear, by heating a mixture of raw rubber with sulfur and lead, obtained a new material, which was called rubber (from the Greek rezinos - resin), and the process of its production - named after the god of fire Vulcan - vulcanization. Rubber is a mesh elastomer; being in an amorphous state, it retains its mechanical properties longer than natural rubber.
With the development of the automobile industry, rubber produced from the milky juice of the Hevea plant became scarce. The synthesis of the first artificial (synthetic) rubber was carried out in 1931 by the Russian chemist S.V. Lebedev. Rubber is obtained from rubber by vulcanization of complex compositions containing, in addition to rubber, vulcanizing agents, vulcanization activators, fillers, plasticizers, dyes, modifiers, blowing agents, antioxidants and other components. Rubber is mixed with ingredients in a mixer or on rollers, semi-finished products are produced, blanks are assembled and vulcanized at 130–200 °C. As a result of vulcanization, the shape of the product is fixed, it acquires the necessary strength, elasticity, and other valuable properties. The reversible tensile strain of rubber reaches 500-1000%. The properties of rubber change significantly when combining different types of rubbers or modifying them with active fillers (highly dispersed carbon black, silica gel). Rubber almost does not absorb water; With prolonged storage and use, it ages, its strength and elasticity decreases. The service life depends on operating conditions and ranges from several days to several tens.
General purpose rubbers operate at temperatures from –50 to 150 °C; used for the manufacture of automobile tires, conveyor belts, drive belts, shock absorbers, and rubber shoes. Heat-resistant rubbers retain their properties at 150–200 °C. Frost-resistant rubber Suitable for use at temperatures (–50 to –150 °C). Oil- and petrol-resistant rubbers work for a long time in contact with fuels, oils, lubricants, etc.; They are used to make seals, rings, sleeves, and hoses. Rubbers that are resistant to aggressive environments (acids, alkalis, oxidizing agents) are used in the manufacture of seals, flanges, and hoses for chemical equipment. Dielectric rubbers with low dielectric losses and high electrical strength are used in the insulation of wires and cables, special shoes, gloves, carpets, etc. Electrically conductive rubbers are used for the manufacture of antistatic rubber products, high-voltage cables and long-distance communication cables. There are also vacuum, friction, food rubber, medical rubber, fire-resistant and radiation-resistant rubber, as well as transparent, colored and porous (spongy) rubber. More than half of the world's rubber production is used to make car tires.
Encyclopedia "Technology". - M.: Rosman. 2006 .
Synonyms:
See what “rubber” is in other dictionaries:
Resinate... Russian word stress
rubber- y, w. RUBBER and, g. resine lat. resina resin. 1. Rubber, rubber. The general name Apterkarskoe for all mastic juices flowing through a notch in the bark of some trees, what are the resins of pine and spruce, treptin turpentine? And… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
- (lat. resina resin). The elastic resin of the rubber tree, the same as rubber. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. RUBBER lat. resina. See RUBBER. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that came into use in... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
- (from Latin resina resin) (vulcanizate) elastic material formed as a result of vulcanization of rubber. In practice, it is obtained from a rubber mixture containing, in addition to rubber and vulcanizing agents, fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers,... ...
RUBBER, elastic band for women, lat. (generally resin); dry, viscous, elastic resin of the rubber tree; rubber, eraser or string. Rubber, elastic bands, garters. Rubber galoshes. Rubber husband rock resin, elastic fossil. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
Vulcanizate, gum rubber, eformvar; tire; wire Dictionary of Russian synonyms. rubber noun, number of synonyms: 26 tires (1) ... Synonym dictionary
Rubber- (from the Latin resina), an elastic material formed as a result of the vulcanization of rubber. Also contains fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers and other components. The bulk of rubber is used in the production of tires (over 50%) and... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Rezina), city (since 1940) in Moldova, on the river. Dniester, 6 km from the railway station. d. st. Rybnitsa. 15.2 thousand inhabitants (1991). Food industry, production of building materials. Known since 15th century... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
RUBBER, rubber, many. no, female (lat. resina resin). A soft, elastic substance that is vulcanized rubber. Rubber products. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
RUBBER, s, female 1. Elastic material obtained by vulcanization of rubber. 2. Tire (in 2 digits) made of such material (simple). Pull the rubber (simple ind.) tighten what n. matter, decision n. | adj. rubber, oh, oh (to 1 value).... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
- – wheel tires. EdwART. Dictionary of automotive jargon, 2009 ... Automobile dictionary
