TIRES THAT USUALLY USE IN AIRCRAFT
BIAS PLY AIRCRAFT TIRE CONSTRUCTION
Bias aircraft tires feature a casing which is constructed of alternate layers of rubber coated ply cordswhich extend around the beads and are at alternate angles substantially less than 90° to the center line
of the tread.
BIAS PLY AIRCRAFT TIRE CONSTRUCTION
Apex Strip - The apex strip is a wedge of rubber affixed to the top of the bead bundle.
Bead Heel - The bead heel is the outer bead edge that fits against the wheel flange.
Bead Toe - The bead toe is the inner bead edge closest to the tire center line.
Breakers - Breakers are reinforcing plies of rubber coated fabric placed under the buff line cushion to protect casing plies and strengthen and stabilize tread area. They are considered an integral
part of the casing construction.
Buff Line - The buff line cushion is made of rubber compound to enhance the adhesion between
Cushion the tread reinforcing ply and the breakers or casing plies. This rubber layer is of sufficient
thickness to allow for the removal of the old tread when the tire is retreaded.
Casing Plies - Plies are alternate layers of rubber-coated fabric (running at opposite angles to one another)
which provide the strength of the tire.
Chafer - A chafer is a protective layer of rubber and/or fabric located between the casing plies and
wheel to minimize chafing.
Chines - Also called deflectors, chines are circumferential protrusions that are molded into the
sidewall of some nose tires that deflect water sideways to help reduce excess water ingestion
into the engines.
Flippers - These layers of rubberized fabric help anchor the bead wires to the casing and improve the
durability of the tire.
Grooves - Circumferential recesses between the tread ribs.
Liner - In tubeless tires, this inner layer of low permeability rubber acts as a built-in tube and
restricts gas from diffusing into the casing plies. For tube-type tires a thinner rubber liner is
used to prevent tube chafing against the inside ply.
Ply turnups - Casing plies are anchored by wrapping them around the wire beads, thus forming the ply
turn ups.
Sidewall - The sidewall is a protective layer of flexible, weather-resistant rubber covering the outer
casing ply, extending from tread edge to bead area.
Tread - The tread is made of rubber, compounded for toughness, durability and wear resistance.
The tread pattern is designed in accordance with aircraft operational requirements.
The circumferential ribbed tread is widely used today to provide good traction under
varying runway conditions.
Tread Tread reinforcement ply - is one or more layers of fabric that strengthen and stabilize the tread Reinforcing area for high-speed operation. It also serves as a reference for the buffing process in retreadable tires.
Wire Beads - The beads are hoops of high tensile strength steel wire which anchor the casing plies and provide a firm mounting surface on the wheel.
RADIAL PLY AIRCRAFT TIRE CONSTRUCTION
Radial aircraft tires feature a flexible casing which is constructed of rubber coated ply cords which extend around the beads and are substantially at 90° to the center line of the tread. The casing is stabilized by an essentially in extensible circumferential belt.
RADIAL PLY AIRCRAFT TIRE CONSTRUCTION
Apex Strip - The apex strip is a wedge of rubber affixed to the top of the bead bundle.
Bead Heel - The bead heel is the outer bead edge that fits against the wheel flange.
Bead Toe - The bead toe is the inner bead edge closest to the tire center line.
Belt Plies - This is a composite structure which stiffens the tread area for increased landings. The belt
plies increase the tire strength in the tread area.
Buff Line - The buff line cushion is made of rubber compounded to enhance the adhesion between the Cushion tread reinforcing ply and the overlay. This rubber layer is of sufficient thickness to allow for the removal of the old tread when the tire is retreaded.
Casing Plies - Casing plies are layers of rubber-coated fabric which run radially from bead to bead.
The casing plies provide the strength of the tire.
Chippers - The chippers are layers of rubber coated fabric applied at a diagonal angle which improve
the durability of the tire in the bead area.
Chines - Also called deflectors, chines are circumferential protrusions that are molded into the
sidewall of some nose tires that deflect water sideways to help reduce excess water ingestion
into the engines.
Grooves - Circumferential recesses between the tread ribs.
Liner - In tubeless tires, this inner layer of low permeability rubber acts as a built-in tube and restricts gas from diffusing into the casing plies. For tube-type tires, a thinner rubber liner is used to prevent tube chafing against the inside ply.
Overlay - The overlay is a layer of reinforcing rubber coated fabric placed on top of the belts to aid in high speed operation.
Ply Turnups - Casing plies are anchored by wrapping them around the wire beads, thus forming the ply turnups.
Sidewall - The sidewall is a protective layer of flexible, weather-resistant rubber covering the outer
casing ply, extending from tread edge to bead area.
Tread - The tread is made of rubber, compounded for toughness, durability, and tread wear. The
tread pattern is designed in accordance with aircraft operational requirements.
The circumferential ribbed tread is widely used today to provide good traction under
varying runway conditions.
Tread reinforcing ply - Tread reinforcement is one or more layers of rubber coated fabric that strengthen and stabilize the tread area for high-speed operation. This also serves as a reference for the
buffing process in retreadable tires.
Wire Beads - The beads are hoops of high tensile strength steel wire which anchor the casing plies and provide a firm mounting surface on the wheel.
