Tire Makeup

When you think of tires you automatically think of rubber. Well, when making a tire that is where the process begins. You start with rubber and additives like sulfur, carbon black, and solvents. The additives are combined with natural and synthetic rubber by using a large machine called a banbury. In a banbury the materials are mixed, grinded, and heated to prepare the rubber compound for the next process. The rubber comes out of the banbury as a long flat band.

There are six processes that the rubber then goes through to shape the other parts of the tire: tread, ply, belts, beads, sidewalls, and innerliner. First, tire tread is put through a tuber, measured, cooled, and cut into very precise pieces. Second, the sidewalls are put through the tubers. Next, the ply is produced in what’s called a calendar mill to make large sheets that are sent to the assembly area. The tire then gets equipped with basic strength in the creel room by the placing of fine steel wire into the belts. Next, the innerliner is put in which is used to create an airtight chamber once it is placed on the vehicle. Finally, the last major part, the bead, is put in.

The green tire comes about once the six parts are put together in the tire-building machine. In the first stage the carcass is constructed which includes the beads, plies, sidewalls, and liner. In the second stage the tread and underlying belts are assembled next to the carcass.

Vulcanization is the last process which transforms the green tire into a tough modern passenger tire that is built to withstand the road. Vulcanization is a process through which the tire is subjected to intense pressure and high heat internally and externally for a specific period of time. Now the tire is ready for final finish and inspection.