By Jenny Dube and Sydney Ratte Tires By Jenny Dube and Sydney Ratte

Introduction In the early years of the 20th century, natural rubber made from latex sap of rubber trees was tires major components. Later, artificial rubber made from petroleum products was developed.

Why Need Tires?

Why Need Tires? Transportation Shipping goods on tractor trailer trucks -all products in stores get there from 18 wheelers. Tires are used on all types of vehicles and non vehicles Includes bikes, scooters, unicycles, wheelchairs, planes, golf carts, ATVs etc. Without tires it would make easy tasks such as driving to work or school more complicated. People would have to walk everywhere they need to go.

How a tire is made Process: -Many tires are custom designed to meet the stresses and performance needs of the vehicle. -takes months of testing, inspection, and designing -The production begins with a selection of several types of rubber along with special oils, carbon black, pigments - formed into a black mixture with a gum-like consistency - Tires are formed on machines and heated at over 300 degrees F for 12 to 25 minutes.

Petroleum Content Petroleum makes up 25 % of an average tire. This is equivalent to 5 to 10 gallons of petroleum products.

Distillation Tower Tires use natural gas and rubber It is found in the upper area of the fractional distillation tower Carbon black which is used as pigment for tires is also found at the top of the tower, in the 40 degrees C – 200 C

Costs to manufacturer & customer Cost to manufacture a single tire for a car is roughly $15-20 Cost to customer can range from $100 - $200 on average Can be much more depending on type and company

Research And Development Research has been done to prove that soybean oil can be used in tires to reduce the petroleum based oil content in them It can increase the tread life on tires by up to 10% Can reduce tire maker’s use of petroleum oil by up to 7 million gallons a year Prototypes of tires with soybean oil instead of petroleum are being made now Expected to be available to consumers as early as 2015 Problem: This is years down the road The need of petroleum is NOW

Disposal of Tires There are several ways to properly dispose a tire: Leave used tires with a reputable tire dealer- Bring used tires to a local tire collection event for disposal Contact your county or local recycling center and ask if they accept used tires.

Uses of Recycled Tires Mulch for playgrounds To pave roads, Rubberized Asphalt Concrete Alternative fuel source for certain industries, can fit tires into kilns, and burn them for fuel. Landfill operations can use a layer of shredded tires to cover the mounds of garbage. Material made from tires are now being used in the rubber sole of some athletic footwear, and work boots. What not to do

Conclusion But… Without TIRES the supplies listed would not be able to be transported to the designated locations. It may be important to have: - lubricants - prescription drugs - artificial limbs - electrical insulation - plastic containers - motor fuel - solvents - diesel fuel - condoms - waxes -paraffin - asphalt - perfumes - dyes - kerosene - clothing -toys - heating oil - PVC - shoes - compact discs - computers - medical supplies

Works Cited http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/tires/RAC/default.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-some-uses-for-recycled-tires.htm www.rma.org/about_rma/rubber_faqs/ www.maxxis.com www.tirerack.com www.firestone.com