NITROGEN IN TYRES: PROS AND CONS EXPLAINED !!

A few years ago, the use of nitrogen in tyres had been introduced. The idea was to replace the free air provided at petrol pumps with Nitrogen gas for a nominal charge. The concept did not gain much mileage and nitrogen gas providers shut down at some places.

But today, there are many 250cc bikes available in the market. The price of high speed bikes is well within the reach of the middle class consumer. At continuous high speeds, the tyres in these bikes can inflate quickly. Here, tyres filled with nitrogen gas prove their superiority over tyres filled with air. Let’s have a look at the benefits and shortcomings of nitrogen in tyres.

Advantage of nitrogen in tyres:

–    Nitrogen is lighter than air. So, the bounce you feel sometimes at high speeds is reduced to a very great degree. This translates into a smoother ride for you.

–    Nitrogen gas remains cool, which is a characteristic trait of the element. So the temperature of the tyres while riding at high speeds also remains cooler compared to air.

–    The tyre pressure remains constant at different speeds regardless of heavy / light load on the vehicle. It remains quite stable regardless of the temperature of the tyre.

–    The life of the tyre gets an extension. Since the wear and tear has slowed down, the durability of the tyre increases.

–    There is also a noticeable reduction in rusting of the rims or wheel as nitrogen is chemically inactive.

–    The rate of nitrogen pressure leaking from the tyre is 10 times less than the compressed air. So one can fill the tyres with nitrogen gas and then check the pressure again after 3-4 months or even more.

There are not many disadvantages of nitrogen in tyres but those that exist cannot be ignored.

–    The process is expensive. When it was introduced, it cost approximately Rs.100 for a two-wheeler and the cost was double for a four-wheeler.

–    Even today the gas is not available widely. Only a handful of tyre dealers provide it.

–    It’s useful for high speed bikes. Compared to the amount of commuter bikes the ratio is fairly low.

–    If a tyre gets punctured, after repairing the puncture, you have to repeat the process of filling nitrogen in the tyre.

Despite the shortcomings one can still opt to fill their bike tyres with nitrogen and get rid of the risk of tyres running at high temperatures. Perhaps you can even save your tyre from getting burst due to inflation. These advantages surely outweigh any cost disadvantage that nitrogen gas may have.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHAFT AND AXLE EXPLAINED !!

SHAFT

A shaft is a rotating member which is subjected to bending moments and twisting moments and sometimes to axial loads. It is acted upon by combined bending, torsional and axial stress. It is desired to transfer motion or power.

It usually comes with a circular cross-section. You can also see it in a cross-section other than circular. It may come with varying diameters and lengths. you can find different elements like gears, pulleys, sprockets etc. on it.

The shaft is also differentiated as the drive or driven shaft according to their position in a machine. Idler shaft is simply a shaft with gearwheels used as a spacing or to change the direction of rotation, It is also used to get the required tension in a chain or belts between two sprockets or pulleys.

AXLE

An axle is designed and manufactured in such a way that it can only take bending loads. It is not used for torque transmission. It is generally a static part. It is attached to the output as a joint.

It is commonly used for the center of rotation in automobile industries. Axles may or may not be rotating but, they only transfer bending moments only.

It is used to support two or more rotating members.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COLD AND HOT WORKING PROCESS EXPLAINED !!

The metal working processes are divided into hot working and cold working processes. The division is on the basis of the amount of heating applied to the metal before applying the mechanical force.Re-crystallization temperature is defined as the approximate minimum temperature at which complete re-crystallization of a cold work metal occurs with in a specified time.

In other words,The lowest level of heat at which the distorted grain structure of a metal is replaced by a strain-free grain structure.

HOT WORKING PROCESS:-

• Hot working is carried out above the recrystallization temperature and below the melting point. Hence the deformation of metal and recovery take place simultaneously.
• No internal or residual stresses are set-up in the metal in hot working process.
• If cracks and blow boles are present in the metal, they can be finished through hot working.
• Close tolerance can not be maintained.
• Surface finish of hot working process is comparatively not good.
• It results in improvements of properties like impact strength and elongation.
• Due to recrystallisation very negligible hardening of metal takes place.

COLD WORKING PROCESS:-

• Cold working is carried out below the recrystallization temperature. As such, there is no appreciable recovery.
• In cold working process internal or residual stresses are set-up in the metal.
• In cold working the existing cracks propagate and new cracks may develop.
• Better tolerance can be easily maintained.
• Surface finish of cold working process is better.
• It also results in improvements of properties like impact strength and elongation.
• It improves ultimate tensile strength, hardness, yield strength but reduces the corrosion resistance of strength of the metal.
• The stress required to cause deformation is much higher.