To anyone outside of the tire industry, adding apertures, or “holes” along the tire’s sidewall can seem counterintuitive and an odd choice. Especially with solid OTR tires that are designed for severe applications operating in waste and recycling sites, scrap metal yards, glass and demolition, why add apertures to the mix? Depending on the tire manufacturer, apertures are designed to help increase the performance and durability of solid tires.
The Recap: What Are Apertures?
Apertures are built-in holes throughout the solid tire. These work precisely because there is no air in the tire and is intended to deliver comparable comfort and durability. Apertures are intended to:
- Reduce stress cracks on the sidewall of the tire since solid rubber tires don’t naturally flex like a pneumatic tire
- Improved cooling and heat dissipation
- Reduce vibration and improve ride comfort
The Science: How Apertures Work
Of course, apertures may look a little silly on the surface, but the scientific justification for their design is what makes solid OTR tires shine.
Ride Comfort and Vibration Reduction
- Without air in the tires, they need some kind of way to flex to reduce potential sidewall cracks
- Flexion allows the tire to adjust to terrain and changes in load.
- With the correct design, the apertures will compress, bear the load and reduce the effects of vibration.
Cooling and Heat Dissipation
- Due to their work and load requirements, solid tires deal with vast amounts of
- As tires move, operate, and flex, that energy is stored in the rubber as heat.
- Apertures allow air to pass through the tire, actively cooling it as it picks up heat through friction, stress, and operation.
Where Apertures Shine: Tackling Industry Challenges
Because of the nature of their design, solid OTR tires with apertures excel in several work environments. Demanding industrial applications are often where these kinds of tires are found. Industry professionals turn to solid OTR tires with apertures in these most common worksites:
- Waste and Recycling
- Scrap Metal
- Demolition
- Underground Mining
Though not limited to these industries and worksites, solid OTR tires are most found here. Operators rely on the tires’ durability in their solid design, and the added benefits from apertures as well. For wheel loaders and extreme applications, these tires unlock productivity and efficiency.
Honest Limitations of Apertures in SOTR Tires
While solid OTR tires with apertures reap many benefits for their operators, it’s important to consider whether apertures are right for your operation. Different worksites have different degrees of severity.
One drawback from apertures in these types of environments is that debris, waste, and scrap can get stuck in these apertures.
Secondly, tire design can spell the difference between effective apertures and faulty ones. Sometimes apertures can crack or tear from the load they carry or faulty design. Once again, this damage to the aperture can lead to tire failure in the long-term.
Maxam’s Approach: Precision Over Gimmicks
MAXAM Tire’s MS708 features our patented “Double D” aperture technology that provides the performance of larger round apertures but minimizes the main disadvantage of round aperture holes: aperture cracking.
Here’s how it works:
The double-D design is reinforced through the middle, splitting into two smaller apertures. The radial reinforcing bar through the middle of the aperture eliminates cracking on the top and bottom of the aperture (since that area is replaced with solid rubber), while the reinforcing bar prevents the aperture hole from bottoming out under high loads.
The construction of the MS708 provides a much higher deflection than a standard solid tire under load, due to the softer cushion compound used in the MS708 versus a much harder compound.
Aperture’s Placement Within The Tire: 3-Stage vs. 2-Stage Design
Aside from the actual design of the apertures, where the apertures are placed within the tire also plays a significant role in their efficacy.
In a 2-stage tire construction, apertures are often located on the base layer, which is typically the “hardest” rubber in the tire. Because of this, rubber doesn’t have proper deflection, which means the apertures will break under load if the stress is too great.
Comparatively, MAXAM’s MS708 has a 3-stage design, and the apertures are placed within the second rubber compound layer. The second rubber compound layer has a lower durometer (65D), or less in hardness, allowing the apertures to flex properly under high loads. This ability translates directly to a superior ride quality, allowing the tire to absorb impacts and dampen vibration in severe applications.
Final verdict: Now that you know how some apertures are designed to work in solid tires, we recommend you to always consult your local tire dealer or manufacturer to understand whether apertures are necessary in your solid OTR tires.
