Aircraft Tyres
After our recent post about (possibly) the most expensive car tyres available for the Bugatti Veyron, I thought I’d write about other outstanding types of tyres. Starting with aircraft tyres. Admittedly, these tyres don’t get very much use, but the use they do have is extremely intense while it lasts as they have to work with the brakes to stop the aeroplane once it is on the ground.
Tyres suitable for aircraft must be extremely strong in order to work properly with the very high loads and with high pressures, but they only need to be able to cope with them for short periods of time. They also need to be able to cope with the possibility of external damage caused by hitting runway debris. Aircraft tyres are inflated to pressures up to 6 – 7 times the pressures of your car tyres, so the casing has to be particularly strong. Even so, the rubber can stretch which makes it more likely to be damaged if it hits debris.
Here are a few more fast facts about aeroplane tyres:
- The first air-filled, or pneumatic, tyre fitted to aircraft was in 1906.
- They are usually inflated with nitrogen or helium to minimise changes in tyre pressures from changes in temperature and external air pressure.
- Their complicated tread patterns are designed to increase stability during high crosswinds, and to channel away water (because no one wants an aquaplaning aeroplane!), as well as to stop the forward motion.