Solid tyres have been used on lift trucks for a long time.
The solid tyre is made up of different rubbers bonded one on top of each other, the specific properties of each combining to give the required adhesion and traction.
Its limitations become apparent under intensive use: rapid wear, due to a significant increase in internal temperature of the rubber and the risk of damage through driving over obstacles. The solid tyre “breaks”.
A conventional diagonal-structured tyre is made up of textile plies, for example in nylon or rayon, criss crossed on top of each other and bonded together by a rubber compound.
The carrying capacity increases with the number of plies.
In a diagonal tyre, the movement between the plies leads to damaging temperature increase. At the same time, there is distortion in the contact patch due to distortion from the sidewalls, resulting rapid wear and reduced adhesion.
This type of structure also presents lower resistance to punctures.
The ideal solution was to separate the work of the tyre’s sidewalls and crown, making each part of the tyre more specialised and thereby enhancing performance. This is exactly what is achieved by MICHELIN’s radial structure; metallic or textile plies, going from one bead to the other, are combined with an inextensible steel belt which reinforces the tyre’s crown.
To sum up, the radial construction reduces tyre tread movement and energy consumption; it improves adhesion and lessens wear, while its steel belt provides much better puncture-resistance.The casing of the radial tyre is made up of one or more steel plies going from one bead to the other.
3 or 4 circumferential steel breaker strips or crown plies encircle the casing; the radial structure separates the work of the crown from that of the sidewalls.
This separation of functions is the main reason for the radial tyre’s main qualities, as each of its parts can be specialised. It provides greater adhesion
by minimising slip, thereby reducing the rate of wear. A steel belted radial tyre resists damage and punctures. Its deep tread gives it long life.
Its sidewalls, being more flexible,offer greater comfort, without compromising on stability. Safety is also improved.
The tubeless tyre is mounted on a special rim equipped with a suitable valve.
From the outside, the tubeless tyre looks like its tube-type counterpart.It is identical as far as the structure is concerned, but inside, a layer of special rubber (butyl) makes it completely airtight.
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