TUBELESS TYRE TECHNOLOGY

1. INTRODUCTION

It has been over a century from the time Dunlop patented his
'mummified wheel' to the modern radial tyres of today. Yet with all the
improvements a tyre has undergone, one thing remained unchanged, which
is only when it is inflated to the optimised level and that inflation is kept
constant that it can deliver maximum comfort and performance. This is one
of the basic reasons all tyre manufacturers try to focus on in the
development stage of a tyre which can have the best air retention ability.
Usage of a tube or an extra air container within the tyre was regarded as the
best solution for many years

It may come as a surprise to many that in 1903, engineer Paul Weeks

Litchfield, then in his early 20s, was granted a patent for the first 'tubeless'
tyres. He later rose to be the chairman of the Board of Goodyear in the year
1940. Just like many other patents, which were granted during that period,
this concept was not pursued until late 1939 when the requirement for the
first amphibious tyre was felt. The 120x33.5 - 66 smooth tread Marsh Buggy
tyres, by far the largest tyres produced then, were used on Admiral Byrd's

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Snow Cruiser. This vehicle was capable of carrying very heavy loads over
all sorts of terrain, even float on water. These were off-the-road tyres,
flexible but inextensible pressure vessel that were pre-stressed and skin-
stressed by air pressure. To produce such tyres Goodyear at Akron employed
the idea of Litchfield, using nylon cords for the first time and a newly
developed synthetic rubber compound called Chemigum to line the inner
casing of this tyre to lighten its weight and eliminate the tube.

The Second World War highlighted the need for reliable tyres as loss
of air or punctures cost precious moments or even endangered lives. Though
the tubeless concept was not used during the war, subsequent development
of tyres with a 'run-flat' capability by introducing tubes, which had a special
construction of a sealant on the lower side, this allowed it to run without an
air loss even after a penetration. The added weight of the tube made the
steering wheel heavy and restricted speed. They were used on low speed
trucks, which traveled on areas with puncture hazards like wrecker's
equipment, dock and warehouse vehicles, and other utility trucks

To reduce weight lifeguard tubes were introduced, having two air

chambers, the outer rubber tube with a thick canvas tube inside. In case of a
blowout only the outer chamber gave way, while the reserve air in the thick
canvas tube would not allow the tyre to be completely deflated allowing the
vehicle for a safe straight line gradual stop.

After the war a more determined effort towards elimination of the

inner tube was sought as it was considered the main source of service trouble
and failures while being clearly superfluous and costly. Experiments were

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therefore conducted both in the USA (initially by Goodrich) and in UK (by

Dunlop), towards providing a near perfect seal between the tyre bead and
rim, under all service conditions. This meant that the tyre had to run even at
low inflation pressures or with a penetration to a safe distance without loss
of vehicle control. It was in the year 1954 that the first commercially
realised tubeless tyre was fitted as original equipment, by the now defunct
Packard marque.

During the mid 1950s and early 1960s, India too manufactured tubeless
tyres, which were not only supplied as original equipment for the cars, but
also had a number of sizes meant for the replacement market. While the rest
of the world accepted this new technology and by the middle of 1962, nearly
all commercial vehicles, trucks and passenger cars used tubeless tyres, we in
India reverted to the old tube-tyre theory. Even though most companies in
India still manufacture tube-type tyres, many have the tubeless technology
available with them and do manufacture tubeless tyres meant for export
only.

Tubeless tyres have reappeared in the Indian scenario but many users
are reluctant to use them. Some fit tubes in them. So which is actually
better? Let us see where the construction difference lies. Apart from the
basic construction, which remains the same with the run of the cords
distinguishing the type of tyre construction, whether it is a cross-ply or a
radial ply one; the main difference lies in the application of the inner liner of
the carcass. Whereas in a tube-type construction the inner liner acts as a
medium for reducing friction between the cord body and the tube, in a
tubeless construction this is the tube itself. Thus the inner liner in a tubeless

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tyre is made up of a Halogenated Butyl rubber like Chlorobutyl or

Bromobutyl for better air impermeability together with high heat and
weather resistance.

Though compounds used in a tubeless or a tube type tyre may vary, the other
major difference lies in the bead area of the tyre. While considering a radial
tyre both type of tyres have a flexible yet rigid bead, where the bead bundle
is very thin and the stability of the tyre is enhanced by the bead apex or bead
filler controlling it, in a tubeless it also has to maintain the air pressure
within. Thus the bead heel in the tubeless sits more tightly within the flange
of the rim, and to ensure this tight fitting most tyre manufacturers add an
extra wrapping over the bead area. This enhances high-speed performance
while achieving a better cornering ability on the tubeless.

The other advantages are the absence of a tube make the tyre lighter in
weight, thus has less chance of vibrations, which means that it leads to a
better fuel saving. Even the rolling resistance in a tubeless radial is lower
when compared to a tube type radial. This is due to the fact that the tubeless

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tyre sidewall is more supple as there is no internal body to create a friction.

This also helps the tyre to run cooler as it eliminates heat generation caused
by the internal shuffling of the tube.

The inner liner also acts as an absorbent during a nail penetration

making the nail act like a plug and therefore the tyre has a slow leak and not
a sudden deflation as it occurs on a tube- type tyre. This can be illustrated by
a simple example. Pierce an ordinary balloon with a pin and it disintegrates,
while sticking a cello tape on the balloon would enable the pin to penetrate
without it bursting.

Similarly by comparing a tubeless tyre to a balloon that is not fully

inflated, when squeezed this would deshape to certain extent before it bursts.
Thus a tubeless can flex over an object, giving it a better impact resistance
than a tube type one.
Personally, I feel that a tubeless tyre is more beneficial than a tube
type tyre, but yet many people feel that since a local puncturewalla cannot
attend to a tubeless it may be a bad proposition to use them. Generally it is
quite simple and sometimes easier to repair a tubeless tyre than a tube type
one. Of course there still remains one important criterion that the repairer
must have proper tools and equipment to handle the same, which is essential
for tube-type tyres as well. I still maintain that utmost care and regular
checks should be carried out at regular intervals to get the best from your
tyres. Secondly most tyre companies worldwide do not recommend use of
tube in tyres lower than 60 aspect ratio. The other factor is the safety given
by a tubeless may not be comparable with a one using a tube.

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2. THE TUBELESS REVOLUTION –

What Makes A Tubeless Tyre? We Explain.

In this epistle we focus on the constructional details of a tubeless tyre which

will fundamentally help us as we motor along the tubeless highway.

It is tragic that we Indians are not the hardiest of adventurous souls who
experiment and adopt new ways to spice up their life, and also to make
things easier on themselves. Though tubeless tyres have been around since
the mid 1950s, we only stumbled upon them with the advent in the late
1990s! It's another matter that it needed a high-end premium automobile to
set things rolling on this count - a case repeated often enough abroad as well
- but now we need to see the same thought and product process filtering
through lower down the pecking order. Many car makers and tyre makers
blamed bad roads and a lack of education as reasons for not ushering in
tubeless tyres but all that is now changing. It better because our neighbours

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in the SAARC nations like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal have
been running on tubeless tyres for over a decade, if not more!

In place of the tube in a normal tyre, the tyre and the rim of the wheel form
an air container in a tubeless tyre. To 'seal in the air', in this tyre-rim
compartment, the inner wall of the tyre is throughly lined with an
impermeable, air-tight membrane. The inner liner of the tubeless tyre is
constructed of halo-butyl/chlorobutyl and other materials. This performs, in
essence, the important chore of substantially reducing the permeation of air,
as compared to the natural rubber inner liner, a function of which is why we
use a butyl tube in a tubed tyre.

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A tubeless tyre also comes with a soft rubber chaffer, distinct from a
rubberised fabric chaffer in a tubed tyre. This works as an all-round air seal
between the tyre and rim.

As there is no tube, and, hence, no tube valve, a specialised valve is

employed for increasing/reducing the air pressure in a tubeless tyre. The
valve (check out the line drawing to see how it mounts) sits on the tyre rim
and is ingeniously sealed by a large high quality rubber seal which is easy to
mount.

As you can see that the tube is integrated in the tyre construction, so to
spead, you also have less weight, helping handling engineers in the car
companies realise the benefits of low unsprung weight. If you drive a Toyota
Qualis or a Mercedes-Benz C, E- or S-Class, or even the stunning new Ford
Mondeo, the benefits of the tubeless rubber they come with would have
passed you by, so good is the feeling.

3. THE TUBELESS REVOLUTION –

From the cross-ply to the radial to the tubeless

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In the days of yore the only Indian cars worth considering were the
only cars available. As an impressionable youngster who used to hang
around car enthusiasts, I used to always hear that this tyre is no good
because it could do only around 20,000km before the tread vanished. Tyre
life over all else seemed to be the mantra of the everyday car user and I
remember even our family car, which used to be a Hillman Minx then,
would seemed to go on and on forever.

Things changed dramatically in 1980s with the advent of the Marutis

and also the ushering in of the radial revolution. Suddenly we started hearing
things like grip and steering responses and ride comfort and fuel efficiency
and not just tyre life.

More than anything else, it was growing awareness levels among car users
that saw many veering towards the radial tyre. The compromise between
comfort (radial deflection), and steerability (sideways stiffness) was not
possible with the traditional (read that as cross-ply) tyre structure as with the
radial ply tyre. A radial casing alone offers no improvement but if it also
comes with a reinforced belt structure it retains the high comfort factor of its
radial-ply nature with the added virtues of steering controllability.

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Moreover, it allowed designers to adjust the two factors in relation to

each other as required for a particular type of car. In contrast to the radial,
the cross-ply is now comparatively limited as far further development is
concerned, even in India. I qualify this by suggesting this statement holds
good for passenger car application tyres only.

Radials may be about 25 per cent costlier than similar sized cross-ply
tyres but they may give upto 8-0 per cent more mileage and also afford the
other intangible benefits in superior ride quality and better grip and control,
factors which have become common-speak even in India today.

With the advent of radials came the stylised looks as well. Of course
this came thanks to the wide squat rubber used by racing cars but automotive

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stylists were quick to pick these cues and design them into their new
automobiles. The designers wanted wheels of a certain overall diameter but
they wanted them to also accommodate the brake discs and part of the hub
carriers. This helped give us the lowered height-width ratio and even though
we have had low profile cross-ply tyres as well, the radial handles low
profiles infinitely better-just ask Ferrari or Mercedes-Benz or BMW or
Porsche.

It was this battle for low profiles and great grip with better cornering
stability which brought the tubeless tyre to the fore. In the early days thanks
to rubber compounds and tyre constructions being at the technological levels
prevailing then, the tubeless tyres took some time perfecting. But once the
virtues of lower unsprung weight, easy repairability, better ride quality and
many more factors which only magnified the radial tyre advantage became
apparent, the tubeless radial has gone on to capture market share in the
developed lands.

The tubeless movement is now making its advent in India getting off
the ground with makers like Goodyear with its Trinuum Tyre Tech. From the
cross ply to the radial to the tubeless, tyres have surely come a long way.

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4.The Need for Speed - Case Study

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The first case shows a tyre with its tread separated from its casing. Could
this have been a manufacturing defect? Yes, provided the tyre was not over
six years old, as in this case. The tyre was manufactured in 1994, but was
sparingly used, thus the tread was not worn out but the casing deteriorated
and when subjected to speeds above 130kmph, literally tore out in chunks.
Thanks to radials, the owner was able to control the vehicle to a slow stop.

The second case you will notice again the tyre has suffered a tread/belt
separation. This too can be attributed to a manufacturing defect.
Unfortunately the owner had purchased this imported tyre from a dealer who
sold him a defective tyre. This is very clear from the fact the specific
markings, which give the authenticity of a tyre has been buffed off. Secondly
the speed rating of the tyre was 'S' (160kmph), while the vehicle was a
Mercedes, capable of being driven at speed of over 190kmph. We asked the
owner to replace them with a 'V' rated tyre, for safer driving.

Here we see a tyre, which may have suffered an impact before it entered the
highway. This tyre was a tubeless type but was fitted with a tube. Now the

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tyre must have absorbed the impact but the tube did not.As the tyre flexed,
heat generated within and after the near completion of the journey the tube
gave way rendering the tyre useless. The damage of the tyre and tube can be
clearly seen. Moreover the nature of impact is also visible at the rim area.

The fourth case, I would like my readers to see how a nail penetration has
caused this tyre to fail and by the time the vehicle could be brought to a
standstill the tyre was ruined.Here again I would say that the owner has been
lucky to use a radial, as although his tyre was wrecked he was able to come
back with his story safely to us.
In my last case we see a tyre which has more than 60,000km logged on it.
The life of the tyre was virtually over, as the tread depth had already reached
its 'TWI' (Tread Wear Indictor) marking or had only 1.6mm tread depth left.
Yet the owner was reluctant to replace his tyres and as luck would have it on
his return after a weekend at Lonavala, the tyres developed a belt distortion.
The only solution for him was to replace the entire set.

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5. Wheels - The Money Spinner

The first Grand Prix, which was held at Magny-Cours, France, in the
year 1906, presented a real challenge not only for automobile manufacturers
but for tyre manufacturers as well. Since the 1200km hot dusty course
caused numerous punctures, it put a strain on drivers as they had to replace
tyres themselves, which was a painfully laborious process. An advertisement
of the time projected it to be as easy as child's play but the truth was far from
it. Thus Michelin's offer of the new technical innovation of completely
detachable wheels amazed spectators, specially the performance of Ferenic
Sziz who won the race at an average speed of over 101kmph on a Renault
engined car. The key to Sziz's victory could be attributed to the fact that he
managed to change a tyre in three minutes flat with these detachable wheels.
Michelin also made history when out of the 34 cars which started only 11
finished, in which the first, second, fifth, sixth and eighth were all on these
wheels.

Yet these wheels were a far cry from the wheels of today. Those days
traditional carriage wheels and wire-spoke steel wheels developed for the
bicycle were alternatives available for automobiles. The three types of
modern wheels are of pressed steel, wire-spoke wheels and light-alloy
casting wheels. The pressed wheels are light, strong, stiff and resistant to
accidental damage. They require negligible maintenance and are only
inferior to alloy wheels on one count; they are heavier. Over 90 per cent
vehicle manufacturers use such wheels, as they are easy to produce and
cheap to manufacture in large quantities. Steel wheels are made from two
pressings. The inset distance and rim profile are varied to suit the car

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manufacturer's requirements. The flange profile, indicated by letters J, K, JJ,

JK, or B in the specification, is designed to comply with the tyre bead
profile.

Though I have already written about problems caused by using an

incorrect flange type as well as the wrong width I repeat that it is of vital
importance that correct width be maintained in relation to the tyre size as
this is the factor responsible for the handling characteristics of a car. A rim
too narrow in relation to the tyre width, for example, will allow the tyre to
distort excessively sideways under fast cornering. On the other hand, unduly

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wide rims on an ordinary car tend to give rather a harsh ride because the
sidewalls have not enough curvature to make them flex over road
irregularities.

The earliest type of wheels were of the wire-spoke variety. They were
light yet strong as they not only had to withstand the weight of the car but
also forces of acceleration, braking and cornering. Normally all wheels are
subjected to extreme loads and stress even in normal road use as during
cornering they have to combat combined forces of braking and acceleration.
Thus all loads on the wheel are transmitted from the rim to the hub by the
spokes. These spokes were made of steel as they had to be stronger in
tension than in compression. Spokes individually have little resistance to
bending stresses, so they had to be laced in a complex crisscross pattern,
ensuring that the load fed into a wheel was evenly distributed among the
adequate number of spokes, thus converting the wheel to a tensile load
similar to a pulling load rather than subjecting it to a pressing or bending
load.

Assembling a wire-spoke wheel is a skilled operation, as each spoke

has to be individually hooked at one end of the hub while its other end is
pushed through a hole in the wheel rim, where a tapered nut also called as a
nipple is screwed down pulling the spoke tight. If a spoke is too loose or too
tight the rim that is relatively flimsy will distort. This labour intensified
manufacture could be justified in the early days when the alternatives
available were not so strong or light, but today such wheels are expensive
because of their complicated construction. Such wheels are traditionally
associated with vintage sport cars and racing cars, but strictly speaking have

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little justification today from an engineering point of view. Moreover the

pierced rim of a wire wheel makes it impossible to fit tubeless tyres as they
require airtight rims.
For steering control the wheels must be of rigid construction. With a pressed
steel rim the 'spoke' portion is usually of near-conical shape for extra lateral
stiffness. This proved to be of great disadvantage in the earlier designs as the
disc had to be liberally perforated to allow the passage of cooling air to the
brake drums, thus by piercing holes in the disc weakened it. The wheel
manufacturers turned this to an advantage by using a slightly more
expensive technique. The holes were swaged, which means that their edges
were turned smoothly inwards, thus actually increasing the strength of the
wheels. Today all wheel manufacturers use swaging technique as standard
on their pressed wheels.

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The third variant is light-alloy casting wheels which are generally

meant to impress and essential quality and advantage is ignored. Alloys have
the main advantage of being lighter than the other types of rims, but with use
of a combination of aluminum and magnesium alloys have a thicker flange
section, which promotes stiffness and distribute stresses over a wider area.
This allows wider tyres to be fitted, which improves road-holding ability
especially on corners and is one of the main reasons for their use on some
sport cars. Light alloys are also good conductors of heat and thus allow heat
generated by brakes and tyres to disperse quicker. They react badly to salt
spray and must be checked regularly for corrosion. I shall focus on alloy
wheels in future but now dwell on how wheels are mounted and problems
regarding the same. The most common type of wheel mounting consists of
either four or five threaded studs equally spaced in a circle around the hub
flange. These studs pass through holes in the wheel, which is secured by nuts
screwed on to the studs. The holes through which the studs pass are not
simply pierced through but the area around each hole is pressed out to form
a tapered seating which ensures a corresponding tight fit. Each wheel sits on
a position which is centrally located on the hub and is called the pitch circle
diameter (PCD) of the wheel. The hub diameter is known as the bore
diameter.

6. THE TUBELESS REVOLUTION –

Advantages of a Tubeless Tyre over Conventional Tube Tyre

OVERDRIVE advocates the use of tubeless tyres. Why? How much

importance do we place on the tyres we use in our vehicles? Where is tyre

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technology is to in the future? It is essential for vehicle users to be aware of

the advantages of tubeless tyres compared to conventional tube tyres.

So what exactly are the advantages? The primary advantage of a

tubeless tyre is in internal construction and materials used. A tubed tyre is
vulnerable to friction and heat generated between the tube and the inner
surface of the tube which reduces life of the tube. In a tubeless tyre the inner
layer of the tyre is the tube itself. This layer is made of a material like halo-
butyl/chlorobutyl which is basically resistant to heat and reduces permeation
of air.

The weight of the tube inside a tyre adds to the unsprung weight
affecting handling characteristics and overall performance. The lack of a
tube reduces unsprung weight and improves dynamic ability. The lack of a
tube also reduces rolling resistance caused by friction between the tyre and
tube. The lower rolling resistance, lesser weight and the tubeless tyre's
capability to uniformly retain air improve fuel efficiency

Another important advantage from a safety point of view takes care of

a problem none of us have control over: punctures! Ever experienced a high-
speed blowout? There have been a number of gruesome high-speed fatalities
on the Mumbai-Pune expressway caused by tyre blowouts.

At speeds in excess of 100kmph high temperatures are generated.

These high temperatures expand (in some cases this tube is over-inflated too
which only aggravates the situation) the tube and a sudden sharp penetration
at high speed causes the tube to burst very easily. The air expelled at high

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pressure forces its way out of the tyre from around the rim and the tube
valve hole. In some cases the pressure exerted by this escaping air is strong
enough to rip open the tyre. A burst tyre causes a sudden loss in traction
which is sufficient to throw the vehicle off course violently.
In a tubeless tyre penetrations into the tyre are sealed off by the rubber itself.
As a result, leakage of air does not take place and if it does, it is minimal.
Over-inflation can still cause grievous harm but the hazards from punctures
in a tubeless tyre are greatly reduced. In case of a total loss of air inside the
tyre, it is likely that the bead will collapse inside the rim-well rather than
come off it.

Other tube troubles include ballooning, open splice, spurious tubes,

pinholes, tube mounting damage and finally the cost of a tube and its
maintenance, all of which are avoided with tubeless tyres.

Tubeless tyres present a very good case for themselves. They are a
welcome foot forward in tyre technology that the world has accepted
decades ago.?

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7. Conclusion:-

By using tubeless tyre technology which is invented by engineer Paul

Weeks litch field in 1903. We can reduce friction and heat generation which
is developed in conventional tyres between the tube and inner surface of the
tube. By using tubeless tyre technology we can also reduce unsprung weight
and improves dynamic ability. It also reduces rolling resistance cause by
friction in the tube and tyre. Using this technology we can improve fuel
efficiency and also reduces puncture as in tubeless tyre penetration into the
tyre are sealed of the rubber is self. As a result leakage of air does not take
place and if it does it is minimal. So tubeless tyre present a very good case
for themselves. They are a welcome foot forward in tyre technology that the
world has accepted decades ago.

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References :-

 Sujan Choudhari, “Tubeless Tyre Technology”

 Adil Jal Darukhanawala, “Tubeless Tyre Technology”

Website :-
 www.google.com

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