The Radial Way

this film is a true documentary which shows the construction of one of the finest radial tires in the industry after viewing this film we believe you will understand more fully why phillips after careful investigation of today's tire manufacturers selected the general tire and rubber company to produce the philips 66 radial steel belted tire what you are about to see here few people have ever seen before the birth of not just a tire but a radial tire built by general [Music] a tire built to survive and more in a tires quick world of lights and lines and signs and instructions of danger and emergencies all kinds of emergencies all of them now [Music] the things a tire must do it must do well for many reasons some of them pretty small in a tires world margins are scant there isn't much room for failure [Music] think about your tire for a minute and what it does it is round and black stands two and a half feet tall and weighs about 25 pounds it must freeze broil turn get soaked be crushed and bounced constantly for years a tire is tough radios general radios are tougher different more sophisticated to do a better all-around job where the cord in the body of the popular bias belted tire is built in at an angle the cord in a radial tire runs straight across from b to b a flat out 90 degrees to the direction of roll a small thing you bet but well worth it let's see now how a radial tire gets that way how it is born what goes into it and why but let's start at the beginning like every fabricated product tires call for planning a lot of planning intricate detailed and exact plans like these with a thousand calculations are made remade and revised and more often than not discarded failed to measure up prototypes are built in the lab and tested extensively many are found wanting [Music] a radial tire is literally a machine of many parts involving such special terms as inner liner radial plies turn up plies breaker belts bead wire cover filler chafer toe heel lower sidewall sidewall upper side wall white wall shoulder side wall buttress under tread tread voids sipes how well this machine performs how safely depends upon how well it is built each step is critical each affects tire life the recipe for a tire calls for indonesian and malayan rubber man-made rubber from general's own complex in odessa texas carbon black and a dozen chemicals steel fabric tire making starts with rubber chewed up in a two-story banbury mixed thoroughly that cycle for a 450 pound bite 15 minutes temperature 340 degrees from the banbury the new compound drops into a mill the first in a long series where it is pressed into more easily handled sheets [Music] after a bath and a whitish chemical solution to prevent tackiness the rubber moves along on a drying conveyor to skids for distribution to further milling this is the birthplace of general's line of tough long-lasting rubber mileage starts here so does stopping power and durability from the initial milling traveling by a conveyor the rubber moves along for further processing some is destined for tread conveyed directly to huge temperature-controlled extruders trimmed to predetermined widths cut to length [Music] and folded all automatically to the closest possible tolerances [Music] other rubber becomes sidewalls gleaming white at first then black coated for in-process protection [Music] this is aldora georgia where all fabric used in general tires rayon nylon polyester and fiberglass is finished and woven to specifications the right tenure the right number of strands twisted precisely and woven into tire fabric the sole of the tire most fabric is then bathed in general's exclusive gentac dip that makes the strongest possible bond between rubber and cord a vital factor it is all electronic automatic complex tempered finally in a roller-laden oven the cord moves to akron waco mayfield charlotte and bryan ready for use this is a calendar here for the first time rubber and fabric are combined atomic energy plays a role measuring is done with beta rays from strontium-90 a by-product of uranium processing general was the first in the industry to use this vastly improved method better quality always [Music] after calendaring the tough atomically gauged fabric cut on a bias is spliced a notch closer to the finished tire thickness is precise angles are perfect specifications are demanding [Music] this is the creole room the key to steel belted radial tire production 720 spools electronically controlled for tension in a strictly controlled atmosphere feed literally miles of fine specially coated steel wire through precision guides 26 ends to the inch exactly 28 inches wide the system by the way is exclusive largely developed and implemented by general tire engineers belts steel safety belts for radials start life here wire is fed directly into a calendar where it is sandwiched between thin rubber sheets to become the backbone of tires fabric for radials then on a high-speed precision cutter the fabric is sliced into carefully measured widths other types of belt fabric used in radials rayon polyester and fiberglass go through a similar cutting process [Music] the material is inspected spliced and wound into rolls other wire a different type is processed into beads in tire building beads are pretty important they keep the tire on the wheel bead failure is tire failure in place a bead looks like this a set number of wires high tensile stuff in an even pattern with the strength of a cable now here all of them treads plies cushions and beads begin to come together on the general tire single stage radial tire building machine an almost unbelievably complex piece of equipment electronically controlled with many pneumatic functions precise to the nth degree all under the direction of a master tire builder one of the most exacting highest paid jobs in the industry breakers or belts and entire tread elements are built here on this big collapsible drum belts are first a set number each with a vital job to do here is where reliability takes form workmanship materials positioning demanding tolerances leave no room for error human or mechanical [Music] the tread comes next centered automatically checked and double checked visually with electronic guidelines perfection is mandatory [Music] the final test may come at 70 miles an hour belts and tread are stitched by the machine in one operation [Music] and there it is the tread and breaker element complete ready to put onto the tire body held in a pneumatic grip [Music] the builder moves to the right side of the single stage machine now and on electric cue the servicer moves in with the inner liner and ply stocks it must present the material here the inner liner easily and smoothly without a hitch the unit holds enough material to build 30 tires all prepared and ready to go [Music] [Applause] [Music] applies are next one after the other from the inside out stability comes to life at this point the type of cord the angle ply thickness adhesion all are important vital in terms of safety in terms of durability compromise is out of the question [Music] let's watch the machine place the beads all by itself nothing to it it's electropneumatic mechanical magic [Applause] now the sidewalls are put in place guided precisely by projector line lights no room for error the sidewall is comprised of two separate strips [Music] a button is pushed and the machine goes smoothly into action the transfer ring brings the tread and belts to the body building drum centering is automatic and exact to 1 1000 of an inch contact the transfer ring releases its cargo presto for the first time we have a tire partially formed a little more stitching a button pushed and there it is a green tire a general radio ready for curing moving now hundreds of them one step nearer completion into the mold curing time 15 minutes temperature 300 degrees the whole molding operation makes maximum use of automation tires arrive on station wait are loaded cured and unloaded without supervision at the command of an intricate system of electrical relays and signals carefully pre-programmed [Music] here for the first time a tire a general tire [Music] some years back general engineers found that inflating a freshly cured tire paid off in more mileage extra strength the process is called post inflation it means that the new tire is mounted and inflated like this an extra step but well worth it after molding and post inflation the flash is trimmed off then one more inspection we've said little about inspection but general's quality control and inspection systems are the most exacting in the industry without a slip this unit expertly buffs away the white side walls protective covering it's a beauty treatment moving tires and materials in plant is highly automated miles of conveyors do the job [Music] balancing done on this machine is precise individually untouched each tire is balanced automatically smoother riding is assured after a dozen inspections after precision balancing there is yet another step calibration the ultimate test for uniformity for tiny internal force variations adversely affecting tire ride and performance this is what does it the tire uniformity machine a computerized electromechanical marvel 10 years in development by general tire engineers [Applause] it automatically right on the production line detects tiny radio force variations pinpoints their location and makes the necessary corrections it goes a long way towards solving the age-old problem of vibration in tires [Music] the result calibrated tires smoother quieter running tires general tires radials good tires built to answer questions of where and how far with real confidence and peace of mind tires built to thrive in a down to earth role where the constant unexpected demands a hefty margin of safety the rewards of all this this care and concern are as rich and broad as the land and imagination and the roads that bring the two together [Music] you