WHEELS AND TYRES Function of Wheel & Tyres: A wheel tyre assembly is an essential device in imparting rolling motion

n to a vehicle. It takes gross load of the vehicle. It provides cushioning effect to the vehicle. It helps in smooth steering and directional stability. It is mounted on rear and front axles and always remains in contact with the road. A wheel-tyre assembly consist of following parts: 1) Wheel 2) Tyre and tube 3) Brake Drum 4) Air Valve We will discuss only Wheel and Tyre only. Wheels Features: The wheel is an assembly of hub, disc, rim and spokes. It transmits power to front wheels, rear wheels or all four wheels depending upon type of drive. The wheels are subjected to braking stresses and side thrusts during their motion. Material used in wheels: Pressed steel, Light alloy wheels. Requirement of a good wheel: They must be structurally strong to withstand vehicle load, breaking stress and side thrust. To keep the unsprung weight minimum, they should be light. The material of wheel should be anti corrosive and weather resisting. Wheels should be balanced (statically and dynamically) Easy to remove and refitted to vehicle. Types of Wheels: 1) Wire spoked wheel 2) Pressed steel disc wheel 3) Light alloy cast wheel 4) Composite wheel 1) Wire spoked wheel: It consists of a hub and a rim connected by number of wire spokes. The spokes are long and thin wires that sustain load in tension only. They are arranged such that, Carrying weight of the vehicle. Transmitting braking and driving torques Withstanding the side forces during cornering. The spokes are attached to nipple, which provide initial tension. The hub is internally splined, accommodates front and the rear axles and is screwed upon them by a wing nut. Advantages: a) Light in weight b) Provide better cooling to their brake drums c) Easily changeable. Disadvantages: a) Its construction is complicated ,costlier b) It makes the rim weaker due to holes required to accommodate spoke wires. Application: Cycle, Motor-Cycle, Old model cars etc.

2) Disc Wheel: A disc wheel consists of mainly two parts: rim and disc. Made of pressed steel. Both rim and disc are integrated / welded permanently. Rim accommodates the tyre and discs provide strength to wheel. Construction:

The disc has a hole in its centre to accommodate the axle. Provision of holes is made on the periphery for bolting axle flange with the disc. Some cooling vents are also provided on them. A wheel cover is attached on the disc by means of fasteners to protect the wheel interior from mud, dust etc. The rim is such that the tyre forms a wedge fit on it and form taper when tyre rests on the seat of the rim. The rim is provided with a hole to install the tube valve. Types of Rims: Depending upon mounting and removal suitability of the tyres and size of wheel, Drop center rims: 2 and 3 wheelers Flat base type: Trucks and HCVs Integral type: mostly used in cars Divide type : extra HCVs Geometry of Disc and Rim Attachment: Depending upon the position of rim with respect to the disc face, their attaching styles, Zero set Wheel Inset wheel Outset wheel Reversible wheel 3) Light Alloy wheel: In this type of wheel light alloys like aluminum and magnesium has been use to produce wheel. This alloy wheels are manufactured by casting and forging processes. Advantage: Reduced weight Decreases unsprung weight of the vehicle Better heat dissipation Improved stability due to wider rim Higher resistance against shock and vibrations. Greater impact strength and fatigue resistance. Good aesthetic look. Application: cars and heavy vehicles, racing and sports cars. Wheel Specification: Each wheel has its own specification. Their dimensions differ from vehicle to vehicle and model to model. W- Rim width (in inches) RT- Type of Rim D-Rim Diameter (in inches) Example:

Wheel size of TATA SFC 709LCV is 6.00G X 16SDC. It means, Rim width = 6 inch Rim type= G type Rim diameter= 16 inch. Rim specification: Rim type is designated by different symbols like B,G,T etc. This symbols are based on international standard. Complete designation for rim as follows: 5 J X 13 H 5= Rim width J= rim flange design X= Reference to drop base for tyre fitting 13= Rim diameter in inches H= One sided hump Tyre It is a rubber product that remains mounted on the wheel periphery. It remains in contact with the road surface whether the vehicle is stationary or mobile. Requirements of a good tyre: Road Grip: It should have proper road grip, so that tread should be properly grooved. It should provide better adhesion on wet road surfaces. Wear Resistance: It should have higher wear resistance. Endurance: It should sustain variable conditions like load, heat and humidity etc. Low noise level Mileage: It should get high mileage for the quantity of fuel consumed and provide economical running and longer tyre life. Non skidding Higher load sustainability Greater road tyre friction Accurately balanced statically and dynamically. Highly durable. Constructional features of a tyre: Tyre is made of three elements: Tread, Body and beads. Tread is meant to take load, Body is a joining link between tread and beads, Bead provide a firm footing for the tyre over the rim. Main elements are indicated as below: Tread: Protect carcass from cuts, to stand running at a high speed, to grip the ground strongly to resist wearing, to be durable under a wide range of temperature. Breaker: It is placed on upper most ply .It disperses outside stresses from the road. Shoulder Side wall Wire beads Bead Heel Wear indicator carcass Types of Tyres: a) Solid tyre b) Pneumatic tyre c) Tube tyres d) Tubeless tyres Tube tyre v/s Tubeless Tyre: The inner construction is almost similar in both the type but a tubeless tyre contains a special air retaining lining on its inside. Tubeless tyres possess several advantages compared to tubed

tyre. Slow Leakage of Air due to higher air retaining capacity. A chance of accident is low due to slow air leaks by puncture. Easier to repair by using plugged seal at its puncture spot. Convenient assembly because tyre is fitted on rim. It is lighter than tubed tyre thus increasing driving comfort. Enhance tyre life due to better cooling. The unsprung weight is low imparting efficient suspension. Types of skeleton or carcass: 1) Bias ply or cross ply Tyres: In this, the nylon cords make an angle with respect to the vertical axis. An inclination of about 35 to 360 from the vertical is made by one layer while the same angle in opposite direction is made by the other layer. The cords are unwoven to minimize rubbing between two layers. 2) Radial-Ply tyres: In this, the ply cords which are placed along the direction xx of the tyre axis. The orientation of cords is such that they join along right angles to y-axis. The breaker strips are provided along the circumferential direction of the tyre for lateral stability. It is made of flexible material so it can change its circumferential length due to inflation pressure. 3) Belted-Bias Ply tyres: In this, the construction is similar to bias ply tyres but with a difference that a number of breaker belts also run over the bias plies. It is a combination of Bias ply and Radial ply.