Are Plastic Tyres on the Way ?
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Recent Goodyear Tests Which , Show Great Promise for a Rubber Substitute wmilisr we are inclined, to look W upon synthetic rubber as the chief rival to the natural product, it may be that the world of plastics will turn it into a three-cornered contest. This possibility is raised by the announcement of the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co. (Great Britain), Ltd., Wolverhampton, that " a tyre, built of a new elastic plastic, under the direction of the Goodyear research laboratory in the United States, has been tested out over a distance of 8,000 miles.
The tyre which was used was but the third one made of the new material,`and the Goodyear 'concern is certain that considerable improvements are possible. The plastic used has been given the name. of Pliallex, and it would seem that, in certain respects, it is superior even to natural rubber.
As is well known, the rays of the
sun are injurious to rubber, but we are advised that no amount of sunlight can, in any way, affect this new plastic. It is claimed, too, that it is the first elastic plastic that can be vulcanized during moulding operations ; in fact, it can be handled in hot moulds in the same manner as natural rubber.
The size of the tyre used on the test was 6.00 by 16, and it was made of tour-ply material. Observations carried out during the test showed that the carcass and tread reached maximum temperatures only slightly higher than those attained in the case of a tyre made of natural rubber, and much below the temperature developed in the case of tyres made of GR-S, as the Saila, 5-type synthetic commodity is now knoWn..'
Whilst our major concern is the application or use of such a material in the building of vehicle tyres, it is not without interest that this new product can be used, to mention but a few of its applications, for. weather stripping without the need fpr metal coverings, for garden hose of extremely light weight, for the making of footwear, and for coated fabrics.
Finishes resembling leather are readily achieved, and there is no limit to the colours in which it can be made. An interesting , side to its use in footwear is that it requires no polishing. With the general release of the raw materials essential to the manufacture of Plioflex, one may look for many interesting developments,