Get to Know Tire Raw Materials and How to Make Tires

The tire has become one of the important elements in a vehicle. A high-quality tire will reduce vibration, maintain stability, and protect the wheel. Yet, what are tire raw materials?

Vehicle tires are typically made of special synthetic materials produced through several processes. This article discusses the tire's raw materials and how to make them. Read the complete information below.

What Are Tire Raw Materials?

Vehicle tires are considered complex products because you need to make a round tire that can function as it is. The most important raw material for tires is rubber. Rubber can be derived naturally from the rubber tree or synthetic polymer rubber.

Natural rubber from the rubber tree will be extracted to deposit the latex using format acids. Then, the natural rubber will be further processed to be manufactured into tires.

However, nowadays, many tire manufacturers use polymer rubber to save costs and overcome natural rubber scarcity. Polymer rubbers are made of hydrocarbons coming from fossil fuels.

Almost all synthetic rubber is very elastic and has great wearability. In general, there are four synthetic rubbers used as tire raw materials, such as styrene-butadiene rubber, polybutadiene rubber, isobutylene-isoprene rubber, and isobutylene-isoprene halogenated rubber. Along with the rubbers, below are other tire raw materials you should know:

Antioxidant: Used to prevent the tire from oxygen exposure.
Textile: Used to increase strength and elasticity. The textile fiber used can be rayon, polyester, and nylon.
Steel: Used to shape the belt and bead helping to strengthen the tires and lock them to the wheel.
Filler: Used to strengthen the tires; provide wearability, and give durability towards tear, puncture, and rotation. Examples of fillers are silica, carbon, Carbon Black, and chalk.

How to Make Tires

Now, you already learned the tire raw materials. But, how are vehicle tires made? Below is the tire production making you should know:

1. Mixing

Tires consist of various raw materials that will be mixed to produce black and slurry materials. This substance will be directed to the milling process.

2. Milling

The cold rubber will be cut into sheets that will shape the tire structure. In the milling process, other raw materials will be prepared to coat the tire.

3. Organizing

Fabric fibers, steel belts, and other completed tire components will be put together with specialized assembly equipment to ensure they are nearly intact.

4. Finalizing

A nearly intact tire is called a green tire. The green tire will be vulcanized using a hot mold in the curing press machine. It will be compressed with other components to create a whole tire along with the standardized tread pattern and sidewall marking.

5. Inspecting

To make sure the final tires meet the manufacturer's standards for quality, they will undergo some sort of testing. Vehicle tires that complete the test can then be sold.

The Components of Vehicle Tires

Vehicle tires are visibly made up of rubber tires and metal wheels. However, there are other components inside as follows:

1. Belt

A belt is a component made of rubber-coated steel wire. It protects the tire from damage, reduces rolling resistance, and stabilizes the tread.

2. Bead

The bead is a steel cable in the rubber works to position the tire in the wheel rim and prevent wear due to friction on the rim edge.

3. Carcass

The carcass is made of textile fiber, aramid cable, and fiberglass to maintain the shape of the tire and prevent the tire from exploding due to inflation. Carcass also makes the tire more flexible but not elastic.

4. Innerliner

The innerliner is made of butyl rubber that maintains the inflation pressure of the tire. It is installed near the carcass, giving more strength to the tire.

5. Sidewall

The sidewall is made of natural rubber works to protect the carcass. It is made strong to be bend and aging-resistant.

6. Bead Filler

The bead filler is a synthetic tire component covering the upper and around the bead. It also covers between carcasses to align the ride.

7. Tread and Tread Patterns

Tread and tread patterns can be made of natural or synthetic rubber depending on the purpose of the tire usage. The tread is the part of the tire that touches the road directly and functions to provide grip and resistance to abrasion.

How to Maintain Tires Properly

The tire is one of the components that directly touches the road. Thus, you should know how to maintain tires properly. Here are some tips you can implement:

1. Doing Tire Rotation

The first tip is that you can rotate your tire from one to another. Rotating your tires will maintain the performance stability of the tire, especially when you do maneuvers. Tire rotation also ensures that the wear is spread evenly. Yet, make sure to do it with professionals.

2. Routine Maintenance

You can routinely check and maintain your tire. The simplest thing you can do is to check the air pressure continuously and inspect the tread pattern’s thickness. If you think that you need a repair, you should immediately bring it to the official mechanics.

3. Paying Attention to the Vehicle Load

The vehicle load must be distributed uniformly across the vehicle cabin. The vehicle's load can impact the tire pressure and brake calculations.

4. Balancing and Spooring

Lastly, you can do balancing and spooring to make sure that all wheels are in the right position. This is important to increase the comfort of tire rotation and balance the entire rotation.

Those are the information about tire raw materials, how to make it, and the components. Aside from the right manufacturing procedures, quality tire raw materials are important to provide good vehicle tires.

In this regard, Chandra Asri Group, a leading chemical solution company in Southeast Asia provides styrene-butadiene rubber for car tire manufacture.

Chandra Asri Group also collaborated with Compagnie Financière Michelin to inaugurate the cooperation for a synthetic rubber factory under PT Synthetic Rubber Indonesia. The factory will produce environmentally friendly tire raw materials to reduce the reliability of imported raw materials and increase the tire export.

Therefore, make sure to always rely on Chandra Asri Group for chemical solutions!