Winter tires
Winter tires, what are they:
In winter most drivers in the cold regions of
the world change their tires to winter tires these tires help lower the
risk of accidents and allow drivers to drive with ease over snow and
slush. Winter tires are considered a very positive influence on
driving environments, assisting driers in getting a good grip on frozen
roads. Winter tires however are quite costly and can not be afforded by every
person in need of them. The costs vary with the size of the
vehicle. There are different types of winter tires in different regions some are only made for slush and snow, some for slightly icy roads as well, and some are even designed with spikes that dig into ice and keep the car from slipping.
How do they help:
With the exception of tires on racing cars all tires nowadays have some form of tread. The tread on a tire effects in a higher friction on the road than if the tire was smooth, this allows drivers to have greater control over the movement of their car. The tread allows water to push into the spaces while the rest of the tire has direct contact with the road. In winter however there is a massive amount of water on roads that flows into the tread design and freezes which then effects in less of the tire surface area in direct contact with the road, which in its turn lowers the amount of friction between tire and road. Winter tires are therefore designed with ridges that direct the snow and water in a way that the high ridges on the tire all have direct contact with the road, which allows friction to occur at the maximum potential of the tire, which prevents the car from skidding and losing control.
"The Laws of Friction:
First law states that the friction is independent of the
apparent area of contact between the contacting bodies.
Second law states that the friction force is proportional
to the normal load between the contacting bodies.
Third law states that the kinetic friction is nearly
independent of the speed of sliding. (http://www.mecheng.iisc.ernet.in/~bobji/funtri/assign/Friction%20Theories.htm)
Tires do not completely follow these rules as it has to be considered that when driving there are added effects due to the structural flexibility of tires and the stretching of the tread rubbers. When the same cars carrying the same load but using tires of different thickness and width.
In winter most drivers in the cold regions of
the world change their tires to winter tires these tires help lower the
risk of accidents and allow drivers to drive with ease over snow and
slush. Winter tires are considered a very positive influence on
driving environments, assisting driers in getting a good grip on frozen
roads. Winter tires however are quite costly and can not be afforded by every
person in need of them. The costs vary with the size of the
vehicle. There are different types of winter tires in different regions some are only made for slush and snow, some for slightly icy roads as well, and some are even designed with spikes that dig into ice and keep the car from slipping.
How do they help:
With the exception of tires on racing cars all tires nowadays have some form of tread. The tread on a tire effects in a higher friction on the road than if the tire was smooth, this allows drivers to have greater control over the movement of their car. The tread allows water to push into the spaces while the rest of the tire has direct contact with the road. In winter however there is a massive amount of water on roads that flows into the tread design and freezes which then effects in less of the tire surface area in direct contact with the road, which in its turn lowers the amount of friction between tire and road. Winter tires are therefore designed with ridges that direct the snow and water in a way that the high ridges on the tire all have direct contact with the road, which allows friction to occur at the maximum potential of the tire, which prevents the car from skidding and losing control.
"The Laws of Friction:
First law states that the friction is independent of the
apparent area of contact between the contacting bodies.
Second law states that the friction force is proportional
to the normal load between the contacting bodies.
Third law states that the kinetic friction is nearly
independent of the speed of sliding. (http://www.mecheng.iisc.ernet.in/~bobji/funtri/assign/Friction%20Theories.htm)
Tires do not completely follow these rules as it has to be considered that when driving there are added effects due to the structural flexibility of tires and the stretching of the tread rubbers. When the same cars carrying the same load but using tires of different thickness and width.