Tubeless Tire | The interesting Physics behind it

Summary

This video script explains the difference between tubed and tubeless tires using a balloon analogy. Tubed tires, with an inner tube, deflate quickly when punctured. Tubeless tires, however, are designed to seal punctures slowly, preventing sudden deflation. The script describes how tubeless tires use a self-sealing mechanism, similar to a balloon wrapped in sticky tape, to maintain air pressure after a puncture. It also covers the technical aspects of converting a tubed tire to tubeless and the importance of rim design for a proper seal.

Takeaways

• 🚗 The blue car with tubeless tires survives a puncture while the red car with tubed tires ends in a fatal accident.
• 🌐 Tubeless tires are based on a simple balloon principle where a punctured balloon with sticky tape around it leaks air slowly.
• 🔍 Tubed tires contain an impermeable rubber tube inside to prevent air leakage through the porous rubber.
• 📌 If a nail punctures the tube of a tubed tire, air leaks out rapidly, which can lead to a blowout and loss of control.
• 🔧 The valve in tubed tires is not fixed to the rim to allow for the sudden escape of air in case of a puncture.
• 🛠 To prevent the tire from slipping off the rim during sharp turns, metallic beads are used in the tire design.
• 💡 The tubeless tire design uses a sticky tape-like mechanism to prevent sudden deflation when punctured.
• 🔄 The inside region of the tube in a tubeless tire is removed, and the tire is glued to the rim for structural support.
• 🔒 A special rim with a hump is required for tubeless tires to ensure an airtight seal.
• 🔄 Tubeless tires can be made to fit on an asymmetrical rim design by applying force and using compressed air.
• 🔄 Tubeless tires often contain a latex-based sealant that can self-repair small punctures, but it needs to be replaced every few months.

Q & A

What is the main difference between tubed and tubeless tires?

Tubed tires have an inner tube that holds the air, while tubeless tires do not; they are designed to be airtight and self-supporting.

Why do tubed tires need an inner tube?

The rubber of the tire is permeable, so an impermeable rubber tube is placed inside to prevent air leakage.

What happens when a nail punctures a tubed tire?

Air will suddenly leak out of the punctured tube, potentially causing rapid deflation and loss of control of the vehicle.

How does the valve attachment affect the deflation process in a tubed tire?

If the valve is not attached to the rim, the air will quickly escape through the valve hole, leading to a rapid deflation.

What is the role of the metallic beads in a tire?

The metallic beads help ensure that the tire remains seated inside the rim, even during sharp turns, to prevent the tire from coming off and causing accidents.

How does the sticky tape balloon experiment relate to tubeless tire technology?

The sticky tape prevents the balloon from bursting when punctured, similar to how tubeless tires are designed to prevent sudden deflation and allow for a slow, controlled air leak.

What is the purpose of gluing pieces of normal tire around the tube in a tubeless tire?

This provides structural support against sudden deflation, allowing the tire to maintain its shape and prevent rapid air loss.

Why is the rim design important in a tubeless tire?

The rim must have a locking mechanism, such as a hump, to ensure an airtight seal with the tire and prevent air from escaping.

How do engineers make it easier to fit a tire onto a rim with a hump?

By making the rim asymmetrical, the tire can be fitted by applying force in a particular way, allowing the bead to stretch slightly and seat properly.

What is the self-repairing mechanism in tubeless tires?

A latex-based sealant is used that can seal small punctures automatically, but it needs to be refilled every three to four months to maintain its effectiveness.

Is it possible to convert a tubed tire to a tubeless tire? If so, what is required?

Yes, it is possible, but the rim must have a hump to provide an airtight locking mechanism, which is essential for the conversion.

Outlines

00:00

🚗 The Difference Between Tubed and Tubeless Tires

This paragraph explains the difference between tubed and tubeless tires and their respective safety implications. Tubed tires have an inner tube that holds air, which can lead to sudden deflation and accidents if punctured. The paragraph uses the analogy of a balloon to illustrate how a puncture can cause a rapid loss of air, leading to a tire blowout. On the other hand, tubeless tires are designed to prevent such incidents by allowing air to leak slowly, preventing sudden tire flats and enhancing vehicle control. The concept of tubeless tires is based on the principle that a punctured balloon wrapped in sticky tape can prevent rapid air loss, similar to how tubeless tires are designed to contain punctures and maintain air pressure.

05:02

🔧 The Innovation of Tubeless Tires

The second paragraph delves into the practical design and benefits of tubeless tires. It describes how tubeless tires are constructed with a self-sealing mechanism that slows down air leakage in the event of a puncture, similar to the sticky tape around a balloon. The paragraph also explains how tubeless tires are fitted with specially designed rims that have a locking mechanism to ensure air-tightness. The rim's asymmetrical shape allows for easier tire fitting, and the bead of the tire is designed to stretch slightly to fit perfectly. Additionally, the paragraph mentions the self-repairing feature of tubeless tires, which involves a latex-based sealant that can plug small holes automatically. The video concludes by addressing the question of whether tubed tires can be converted to tubeless, confirming that it is possible provided the rim has the necessary hump for airtight locking.

Keywords

💡Puncture

A puncture refers to a hole or tear in an object, such as a tire, caused by a sharp object like a nail. In the context of the video, a puncture is a critical event that leads to different outcomes for the blue and red cars, illustrating the importance of tire technology in vehicle safety.

💡Tubed Tires

Tubed tires are traditional tires that contain an inner tube filled with air, which is separate from the outer rubber tire. The video explains that these tires can be vulnerable to sudden deflation if the inner tube is punctured, as the air leaks out rapidly, leading to loss of control and potential accidents.

💡Tubeless Tires

Tubeless tires are a type of tire designed to not require an inner tube. They are sealed with a special rim and can maintain air pressure even when punctured, as the puncture is sealed by the tire's own structure or a sealant. The video uses a balloon with sticky tape as an analogy to explain how a puncture in a tubeless tire can lead to a slow leak instead of a sudden deflation.

💡Rubber Permeability

Rubber permeability refers to the ability of gases or liquids to pass through the rubber material. The video mentions that the rubber of a tire is permeable, which is why air would leak out if filled directly into the tire without an inner tube, as the air would escape through the small pores of the rubber.

💡Deflation

Deflation is the process of air escaping from a tire, leading to a loss of pressure. The video discusses how a sudden deflation can cause a tire to lose its structural integrity and result in a loss of vehicle control, which is a significant safety concern.

💡Valve

A valve is a device that controls the flow of air into and out of a tire. The video explains that in tubed tires, the valve's position (either fixed to the rim or not) can affect how air escapes in the event of a puncture, with significant safety implications.

💡Metallic Beads

Metallic beads are components used in tires to ensure that the tire remains seated within the rim, especially during sharp turns. The video mentions that if a tire deflates suddenly, the reduction in radius can cause the beads to slip out of the rim, leading to a loss of control.

💡Self-Repairing Mechanism

A self-repairing mechanism in tubeless tires refers to the tire's ability to seal small punctures on its own. The video demonstrates this with a latex-based sealant that can automatically seal small holes, preventing rapid air loss and enhancing tire safety.

💡Rim

A rim is the outer circular support that holds the tire. The video discusses how the design of the rim, particularly the presence of a hump or protrusion, is crucial for creating an airtight seal with the tubeless tire, preventing air from escaping.

💡Asymmetrical Rim

An asymmetrical rim is a type of rim designed with an uneven shape to facilitate the fitting of the tire, especially the bead, onto the rim. The video explains how this design allows for easier installation of the tire and contributes to the overall effectiveness of the tubeless tire system.

💡Latex Sealant

Latex sealant is a self-healing substance used in tubeless tires to seal small punctures. The video shows how this sealant works by demonstrating how it fills a hole in a tire, preventing air from escaping and ensuring the tire remains inflated.

Highlights

The blue car with tubeless tires survives a puncture while the red car with tubed tires ends in a fatal accident.

Tubeless tire technology is based on a simple balloon experiment with sticky tape.

Tubed tires require an impermeable rubber tube inside to prevent air leakage.

If a nail pierces the tube of a tubed tire, air leaks out quickly causing a sudden deflation.

The valve in tubed tires is not fixed to the rim to allow for sudden air escape.

Sudden deflation can cause the tire to burst and the car to become uncontrollable.

Metallic beads in the tire ensure it stays inside the rim during sharp turns.

Tubeless tires use a sticky tape-like mechanism to prevent sudden deflation.

Puncturing a balloon with sticky tape allows for slow air leakage instead of an explosion.

The tubeless tire design uses pieces of normal tire glued around the tube for structural support.

The rim of a tubeless tire has a hole for the valve and a locking mechanism to prevent air escape.

A hump on the rim ensures an airtight lock with the tire.

The rim is asymmetrical to allow the tire bead to fit with less flexibility.

Tubeless tires have a self-repairing mechanism using a latex-based sealant.

The latex sealant needs to be refilled every three to four months to maintain its effectiveness.

It is possible to convert a tubed tire to a tubeless tire if the rim has the necessary hump.

The video concludes with a thank you note to viewers for watching.

Transcripts

in the event of a puncture for both

these cars the blue car survives and

pulls over while the red car ends up in

a fatal accident

to understand why this is the case look

no further than the tires

the car that crashed has tubed tires and

the one that survived has tubeless ones

you might be amazed to know that a

simple balloon case forms the basis of

tubeless tire technology

this balloon based when i prick it

but

when the balloon has a sticky tape

around it

it just goes for a very slow leakage

without any issue

let's get in the design details of the

tubeless test based on the simple

experiment

before understanding tubeless tires we

must first look at the basics of tubed

tires

in order to inflate the tire we never

fill the air inside the tire directly

the rubber of the tire is permeable this

is because it is chemically processed to

achieve good strength

therefore if we fill it with air

directly the air will leak out through

the materials small pores

the solution is to keep an impermeable

rubber tube

inside the tire if you fill this tube

with air there won't be any leakage

this is a good design however if a nail

pierces the tube

air will suddenly leak out of it

let's pause here

now we have two design options

we can either leave the valve not

attached to the rim

or we can fix the valve with the rim

which option is best

majority of the air particles which are

leaking out from the tube puncture are

trapped between the tube and the tire

if we leave the valve loose obviously

the valve will fall within the rim all

the air will quickly rush out through

the valve hole

and the tire flattens out

however with the second option since the

valve is fixed the air will be trapped

between the tire and tube and deflation

could be a slow process

so is the fixed valve design your choice

if so this will lead to a catastrophe

the issue is that if the high pressure

air cannot escape from the tube then the

tire will go for a blast as shown

due to this the valve is not fitted to

the rim in the tube tire design

in the tubed tire case we must allow the

sudden escape of air to save the tire

another important aspect of the tire is

to ensure that the tire always remains

inside the rim even when the vehicle

takes sharp turns

here a pair of metallic beads is

inserted inside the tire

as this tire flattens suddenly its

radius is reduced

and it will now have a lower velocity at

the contact point

this situation will lead to a

differential action

where the car will have an instantaneous

turn as the driver attempts to rotate

the car in the opposite direction by

steering the car becomes uncontrollable

resulting in a devastating accident

now it's time to explore how the

tubeless tire overcomes such fatal

accidents with the help of an

interesting sticky tape balloon

experiment

here i have a balloon with me is

obviously impermeable

but here the main issue is that in case

of a small puncher the balloon just

explodes

here's the main taste

when the balloon has a sticky tape

around it

when i prick it with a needle

it just goes for a very slow leakage and

never best

this interesting combination of sticky

tape balloon forms the foundation of the

tubular stairs

let's get into more details of it

first we must explore why the balloon

popped in the first place

the compressed air inside the inflated

balloon keeps it in tension when you

puncture this balloon with a needle the

compressed air will rush out through

this narrow gap

this escaping air will generate radial

force on the balloon thus expanding the

punctured hole

the air rushes out quickly due to this

the same thing happens with a tube also

and air rushes out quickly

what happens with the sticky tape is

interesting

when you puncture with a needle here

also the puncture wants to expand due to

the radial forces but the sticky tape

won't allow that

thus the opening remains the same and

the air leaks out slowly

now let's extend this fundamental

knowledge to create a tubeless tire

consider this inflated tube

it is impermeable making it equivalent

to the balloon we looked at before

the tube needs good structural support

against sudden deflation

instead of using sticky tape we can

simply glue pieces of normal tire around

the tube

now when you puncture the tire it will

not suddenly deflate

instead the air will leak out slowly and

steadily

hooray we have now achieved a safer tire

so no sudden tire flats

to make this design more practical let's

remove the inside region of the tube and

this tube material stuck to the tire

arrangement is fitted with a rim

this rim has a hole to fit the valve

the valve is inserted from the inside

portion of the rim and it is made so

that when pulled out it locks properly

there you have it a tubeless tire

the new tubeless tire design will only

be leak-proof with some specially

designed rims

first let's try out the old rim and see

what happens

here the pressurized air can easily

escape as shown

to make the tire air proof the tubeless

tire needs a good locking mechanism

this is why engineers added an

additional protrusion called a hump on

the rim

this perfectly locks the tire onto the

rim so that the air doesn't escape at

all

however this presents a new challenge

with the tire bead the tire has less

flexibility

how can we then get it to fit on the rim

engineers have come up with a clever

solution for this problem

they made the rim well asymmetrical in

shape as shown

for this rim design fitting the tire is

easily possible by applying force in a

particular way as shown

please note the bead is just slightly

allowed to stretch and the tire fits

perfectly

[Music]

only the upper right side bead will face

some difficulty in fitting

this region also can be fitted when you

fill the tire with the compressed air

did you know that tubeless tires have a

self-repairing mechanism

this is a latex-based sealant method

watch how this liquid self-repairs this

hole

to ensure that the latex sealant

performs as intended you will have to

refill it with a new one every three to

four months

here's an interesting question

can you convert a tubed tire to a

tubeless tire in practice

yes you can the only condition here is

that your rim must have the hump to

provide airtight locking

we hope you enjoyed the video

thank you for watching