Why plane tires are do not Explode?
around 100 000 commercial planes take off and land every single day that's almost two flights per second
but how often have you heard of a plane's tires blowing out during landing it's extremely uncommon
here is why plane tires are different from the tires you encounter on a day to day basis they only really resemble automobile tires in shape when it comes to tire design special considerations have to be given to the materials used
and how they integrate with the plane's safety features
let's start with materials you can imagine that regular rubber alone just isn't going to cut it for a plane's tires that is why plane tires are reinforced with aramid
it's an incredibly strong synthetic fiber known for its heat resistant properties and has a melting point of 932 degrees fahrenheit for reference average rubber will catch fire and begin melting at around 500 degrees fahrenheit aramid is also resistant to abrasion which allows plane tires to be used for up to 500 flights
that's great news for plane technicians as each tire can take up to an hour to change but the differences don't end
there another key differentiation between plane tires and regular tires is in their air pressure car tires are commonly filled up to around 30 psi plane tires start at 200 psi
the higher pressure makes them extremely firm almost rock hard they better be with commercial planes regularly clocking in at over 100 tons tires need to be as firm as possible to ensure they don't give under all that weight
each plane tire is able to withstand a weight load of up to 38 tons so the heavier
the plane the more tires it needs to ensure a smooth explosion free landing
it's not just how plane tires are filled up that makes a difference either what they're filled up with also matters
instead of regular compressed air plane tires are filled with nitrogen while nitrogen does make up 78 of what we understand as air the other gases found in air are unsuitable for use in plane tires engineers choose to use nitrogen due to its properties as an inert gas
which negates the effects that changes in temperature and pressure would normally cause in short it's stable aside from this plane tires also come with a host of fail safes to prevent tire failure on the tarmac one fail safe is actually common among cars the anti lock braking system or abs
abs prevents wheels from locking up while braking these systems automatically engage during emergency situations
when the tires are at risk of locking up this works in conjunction with an anti skid computer installed on an airplane sensors on the wheel communicate with the computer to relieve brake pressure
this prevents the loss of traction when braking which would quickly lead to the explosion of the tires
another fail safe is unique to plane tires the fusible plug these plugs melt once they reach a certain temperature threshold causing the plane's tires to deflate safely rather than blow out these especially come in handy during instances where maximum braking is applied
common scenarios where this is used include emergency landings or aborted takeoffs the safety measures seen in the design of a plane's tires are but one piece of the puzzle engineers have honed the systems behind planes over the last century to the point
where according to statistics boarding a plane is safer than swimming
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