Some tire failures do not have an obvious cause to the casual observer. Here are a couple of examples.
These three tires looked brand-new. They were, in fact, 4 to 5 years old but had never been on the ground.
As part of my job, I was tasked with providing an explanation as to why various tires had failed. These and a few others in similar condition presented a challenge. But do you notice something these share? The failure was on the side of the tire that got the most heat from the sun.
In some of my other posts, including this one, we have covered the negative effects of heat on rubber. Basically, the higher the temperature, the faster the rubber “ages.” As rubber ages, it is more likely to crack when bent, rather than stretch. The tires in the pictures above clearly have the upper surface more exposed to the sun’s heat.
If you have been following my posts here on RVtravel.com or in my blog at RVTiresafety.net, you may remember a number of posts on the negative effects of heat and the higher temperatures experienced by tires in direct sunlight.
“Interply shear” is the force found in the tire’s structure that is trying to prevent a tire from being completely round like a balloon.
Tires do not fail because of “magic.” The science behind tire failure is well understood by Tire Design Engineers.
Roger Marble
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RVT1246
More great information again Roger, thanks!