Here's Why Tires Are Black
“Original tires had a lighter shade because of the natural color of
rubber,” a company representative told me. “Carbon black [a fine
manufactured soot] was added to the rubber compound in [circa 1917] and produced a tenfold increase in wear resistance.”
This increased longevity is confirmed by award-winning chemical engineer Jack Koenig, who says in his book Spectroscopy of Polymers
that a tire without carbon black would last “less than 5,000 miles.”
Consider that most tires are driven between 12,000 and 15,000 miles a
year, and are meant to last three or four years or more, and you get how
low that was.
The Michelin spokesperson went on, saying carbon
black represents about a quarter to 30 percent of the composition of the
rubber used in tires today, and in addition to making them more wear
resistant, the material that gives tires their black color is also good
at protecting tires against ultraviolet rays that can cause cracking,
and it also improves grip and general road handling.
(Jalopnik.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment