Surprising facts about aircraft tires not everyone knows

Traveling by plane a lot, have you ever wondered what aircraft tires are made of, what is the size of the tire, what is the structure. The following article will introduce you to interesting things about aircraft tires that are not Not everyone knows.

What is the size of the aircraft tire?

Airplane tires are much larger than car tires, although they look quite small compared to the size of an airplane. The tire set of a Boeing 737 has a diameter of 685.8mm, a width of 196.85mm and a rim size of 381mm.

What materials are aircraft tires made of?

Surprising facts about aircraft tires not everyone knows Picture 1

Airplane tires are made of the same materials as automobile tires, consisting of four basic materials: natural rubber, nylon, some special wire, and steel.

In terms of structure, aircraft tires are composed of many layers, such as nylon, Kevlar, etc., to meet strict technical standards for hardness, durability, and abrasion. These standards are more stringent than product standards. produces tires of all kinds of super cars or racing tires in sports.

Do airplane tires have an air pump? If yes, what gas? What is the pressure?

Aircraft tires have an air pump, and that's an inert gas like nitrogen, to help prevent corrosion on the inside of the rim and minimize temperature-induced increases in tire pressure.

Surprising facts about aircraft tires not everyone knows Picture 2

Airplane tires are inflated to about 200 psi, 6 times the psi of the average car tire. PSI stands for Poundper Square Inch, the unit of pressure in Pounds exerted per Square Inch.

National Geographic once recorded a real-life experiment showing that the tires of a Boeing 737 could withstand a pressure of more than 900 psi before blowing up.

The groove on an airplane tire is a straight groove

Aircraft tires are designed with straight grooves to provide better grip on the runway surface to help stabilize direction and aid in braking.

Surprising facts about aircraft tires not everyone knows Picture 3

Airplane tires will slide as soon as they land

At the first moment after landing, the tires will slide instead of rolling. They will be dragged along the runway by the aircraft until the rotational velocity of the tire coincides with the speed of the aircraft. This causes the rubber part of the plane's tire to wear out on the runway and creates smoke every time the plane lands.

Surprising facts about aircraft tires not everyone knows Picture 4

To remove the rubber left on the runway by airplane tires during landing, airports often use high-pressure water or chemicals.

How often should airplane tires be changed?

On average, after about 450-500 first landings, an aircraft tire will need re-grooving. During its life cycle, a tire can be re-slotted 7 times. Airplane tire changes can take anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours.

But in fact, the tire wear criteria of each manufacturer will be different, so the determination of the time the aircraft needs to change tires is also different. In addition, in some unusual cases such as broken tire body, special wear and tear. aircraft tires can be replaced immediately.

The life of aircraft tires is also affected by external temperatures such as landing at an airport near a desert with high temperature, airplanes flying frequently over the sea.

Even when not in use, the aircraft still needs periodic tire changes.

The price of aircraft tires

Airplane tires have different prices depending on the aircraft type, manufacturer, and different criteria. Aircraft tires range from a few dozen dollars to several thousand dollars each.

Micah Soto

Update 21 May 2022