Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: sandy42011 on 24/05/2013 07:32:31
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why aeroplanes have front tyres as tubeless and rear as normal tyres ?
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I'm no expert, but tires in the main landing gear experience the most weight and braking forces. Tubes provide added safety; also, cracks in the rims won't deflate the tire.
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I've popped tires off the rim on my car in the past, I believe with a sideways force, but it is quite possible that the initial landing impact of the plane would cause stresses on the tires that would potentially prop them off of the rims, causing sudden deflation. This may be a greater problem if landing crosswind. The front tires may experience much less forces and sheer forces.
Many offroad drivers use beadlock rims (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beadlock) to prevent popping the tires off of the rim, but I presume they would add more weight than a tube.
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Landing a plane imposes quite different stresses from driving a car. The tyre has to accelerate from standstill to anything between 30 and 150 mph (depending on the plane) "instantaneously", and may have a significant crosswind offset load, so there's a high probability of detatching the tyre from the rim and thus losing pressure from a tubeless.
Light aircraft can operate in fairly unsophisticated environments, and the less sophisticated, the more likely to damage the tyre. You can dismantle and repair a tube tyre in a jungle clearing with a screwdriver and a bicycle pump, but you need a jig, rim sealant, rim seal breakers, drills, plugs, and a compressor to fix a punctured tubeless.
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"You can dismantle and repair a tube tyre in a jungle clearing with a screwdriver and a bicycle pump, "
Clearing a runway with them is a bit slow.
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"You can dismantle and repair a tube tyre in a jungle clearing with a screwdriver and a bicycle pump, "
Clearing a runway with them is a bit slow.
That is why you have 2 weed eaters mounted on the front of your plane [:o]
Small holes in tube tires, of course, can be patched with tire plugs, no need to dismount the tire, although I don't know what the FAA thinks about them, they certainly would be advantageous for bush pilots.
I've mounted and dismounted a few tires (not on airplanes) by hand with simple tools. They are a big pain. Split rims are the easiest to dismount, but I doubt many are found on modern airplanes.
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"You can dismantle and repair a tube tyre in a jungle clearing with a screwdriver and a bicycle pump, "
Clearing a runway with them is a bit slow.
I sense a cart before the horse here! Don't know about you, but I prefer the runway to be there before the plane lands. Which is why the British government in its infinite wisdom has commissioned a new aircraft carrier with no planes - if you are short of cash, it's a lot safer than buying planes with no ship to land on.
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if you are short of cash, it's a lot safer than buying planes with no ship to land on.
Perhaps.
30 years ago, the Britts flew bombers non-stop from Ascension Island to the Falklands, round trip, with no ship to land on.
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That was indeed the headline. In the background was an amazing logistics exercise involving a chain of Victor tankers refuelling each other to keep the Vulcan flying, and a host of disappointed visitors to the Vulcan museum who learned that the historic exhibit had been returned to temporary active duty. The mission was a tactical flop, even if it made good propaganda.
Meanwhile, Harriers and Buccaneers were flying off sensible ships and doing a proper job.
All now scrapped - apparently it is more important to pay bankers' bonuses than to maintain an air force in the modern world!
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Hello,
I guess because of suspension issue... B)