324 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1, 1917. 



TIRE FILLERS AND PUNCTURE FLUIDS. 



THE use of tire fillers is not generally encouraged by rubber 

 manufacturers. They contend that a tire casing filled with 

 a substance possessing a "rubber-like resiliency" is virtually a 

 solid tire and would better be made wholly of rubber. 



Puncture fluids are also discouraged as being an evasion of 

 the well-known fact that the most effective medium for repairing 

 rubber is rubber itself. Moreover, the reclaiming of tires con- 

 taining puncture fluids is troublesome and expensive. 



The European war, however, has created unusual conditions 

 that demand continuous and exceedingly severe tire service until 

 both casings and tubes are entirely worn out. At the front both 

 the .Allies and the Central Powers are using tire fillers through 

 obvious necessity rather than choice. For this reason the follow- 

 ing brief review of the representative types of fillers and puncture 

 fluids is timely. 



Tire fillers are of three kinds. The first is a liquid to be 

 injected into the tire, where it subsequently solidifies, forming 

 a cushion substitute for air. The second consists of porous 

 rubber compound molded in sections conforming in size and 

 shape to the casing in which it is to be inserted. The third is a 

 viscous puncture fluid that flows over and coats the inner surface 

 of the tube. 



A tire filler of the first type consists of a heavy fluid which is 

 either forced directly into the casing or pumped into the inner 

 tube through the valve, where it soon solidifies into a resilient, 

 rubber-like body. "Rubberine" belongs to this first class and is a 

 semi-fluid filler, to be pumped directly into the casing, which it 

 distends to the required pressure according to the weight of the 

 car and then solidifies into an elastic body. Inner tubes are thus 

 dispensed with and the tire requires no more attention until 

 thin or completely worn out. This is an English preparation 

 which is being used with considerable success in military service 

 where the ordinary tire has proved undependable under extreme 

 road stress and gun fire. 



"N'ewmastic'' is of American origin and representative of that 

 class of fillers which are pumped into and completely fill the 

 inner tube at the proper operating pressure. With this filler the 

 casings should be new, but old inner tubes may be used. Should 



"Newm.\stic" Tire Filling Pl.xnt. 



the casing stretch excessively under severe usage it may be 

 hardened by pumping a small quantity of the liquid into the tire. 

 To the second class of tire fillers belong those which are first 

 molded from sponge rubber stock to fit the various casings on the 

 market and when inserted simulate the effect of an inflated inner 

 tube. The "National" filler is one of this type, and is placed 



in the casing in sections, end to end, after which the tire is 

 applied to the rims of the wheel by means of a special tool pro- 

 vided for the purpose. 



Zuber's patent solid filler consists of molded blocks of sponge 

 rubber, the ends of which overlap when fitted within the casing. 

 Closed air chambers in each block provide additional resiliency. 



The third class, puncture fluids, is of value chiefly for bicycle 

 and motorcycle tires. It embraces those mucilaginous prepara- 

 tions, rarely compounded of rubber, which hold in suspension 

 solids or fibers, such as whiting, graphite or asbestos, and which 



"Rubberine" Tire Filling Plant. 



harden instantly upon exposure to air. Enough of the liquid is 

 pumped into the tube under pressure to coat its inner surface 

 with a thin layer occupying only about five per cent of its volume. 

 This viscous compound is evenly distributed by rotation of the 

 wheel, and in case of a puncture is at once forced into the hole 

 by air pressure, where the minute obstructions in suspension 

 form a clot and facilitate immediate hardening of the compound 

 into a permanent plug. "Bale's Puncture Plugger," "Neverleak" 

 and "Tire Treat" are among the well-known fillers of this class. 



While puncture fluids take care of ordinary tack and nail holes, 

 large cuts and blotv-outs still require patching and vulcanizing, 

 which are less easily accomplished after employing some of the 

 preparations on the market. "Cyco," however, is said to be made 

 of vegetable gums which do not interfere with vulcanizing and 

 which preserve the rubber. The same is claimed for the "Glines' 

 Liquid Rubber." 



"Permanit," an imported preparation, occupies a unique posi- 

 tion in this class. It comes in the form of a. powder, eight ounces 

 of which is pumped into each tube. One and one-half ounces of 

 water is then injected and the wheel rotated slowly 10 to 20 

 times, in order to distribute the powder thoroughly. "Permanit" 

 is neither soluble in water nor does it become a paste, glue or 

 fluid, but when a puncture occurs and the powder comes in con- 

 tact with the outer air a chemical reaction takes place whereby 

 the injured part is instantly healed. One treatment will last at 

 least a year, and a tube can be vulcanized with the powder in it 

 should a blow-out make that necessary. 



BTTBBEB BELTING AND OTHER SUBSTITUTES FOR SOLE LEATHER. 



Owing to the high cost of leather, English manufacturers are 

 using substitutes for both uppers and soles of the shoes, some 

 of which are furnished to the troops. Linen duck coated with 

 a mixture of wood tar, pitch, turpentine oil, cork powder and 

 rubber cement are joined together in several thicknesses, com- 

 pressed between powerful rollers and then cut into soles. The 

 material can be easily sewn and pegged, and seems to serve its 

 purpose admirably. 



This is not a new idea. Some shoe finders in this country 

 have for years been purchasing scrap rubber belting and cutting 

 it into half soles to sell to shoe repairers, who find that such 

 soles wear admirably, especially in mining districts. 



