Are tires made up of rubber only? They are not.
The process of mading up of tires is very complex. Usually the tires are made up of over 100 compositions. And the rubber is one of the main parts. What’ more, the constitution of the car tires are different from tires’ sizes and types.
Many different industries provide raw materials for tires. Steel industry provides high strength iron which is the raw material of steel belt and steel wire. The chemical industry provides a lot of raw materials. Natural rubber is from cutting rubber trees. The textile industry provides rayon, nylon, polyester which are used for tire cord.
Are all tires black?
Being black may be a mask of tires. But tires are not all black. We should understand the raw materials first to confirm the tires’ color. Most tires are made up of white or pale yellow rubber. These rubbers are elastic, but they are easily to be worn. So the tire manufacturers add carbon black to tires to improve their wear resistance. This is the reason why the tires are usually black.
Actually people have being working to develop colorful tires during a long time. In 1950s, some rich people painted their cars white to make show their individual character. However, these decorate can’t last a long time because the white paint fade after a period of time.
In 1960s, the white tires became popular, but their wear resistance and anti-aging ability are not strong, what’ more, their cost are high. Moreover, the tires became yellow or brown after a period of time.
In 1980s, Japan, Germany and America producted tires with white words in tire sides. People even producted shine tires in the dark.
In 1990s, manufacturers had made great process in replacing carbon black with silica. People can choose different colors and kinds because the silica is white, and people can choose the color and kind they want. In recent years, the colorful tires develop fast due to the development of the rubber anti-aging agent developing.