Union transport Minister Nitin Gadkari informed Rajya Sabha on 8th of July 2019 that Indian Government is considering to make mandatory norms for tyre manufacturers to mix silicon with rubber tyre and filled them with nitrogen instead of normal air, to prevent road accidents. As per international standard (IS) nitrogen filled tyres can reduce the chance of tyre bursting due to excessive heat.
What is Nitrogen?
Nitrogen gas as we all know is abundantly present in the air, infact the air we breathe contains 78 percent of Nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. It is non-combustible, non-flammable, non-corrosive in pure form and environmentally friendly. Nitrogen tyre gas does not attack or oxidise the rubber of the tyre from the inside like air does. It is a pure gas, so it does not hold heat and the tyre run cooler. Therefore, Nitrogen filled tyre are preferred in most vehicles like aircraft, trucks & vehicles used in mining and other rigorous industrial applications. The planes fly at heights where temperature are as low as -40 deg C, and any moisture in the tyre can freeze causing vibration and balance problems when landing, using pure Nitrogen which is dry in nature eliminates such problems.
It is also the biggest molecule gas making it slowest gas to migrate through an enclosure like tyre and results in negligible loss of pressure.
Advantages of Nitrogen in Tyres
There are various advantages of filling Nitrogen in the tyres;
- Cooler running temperature of tyres & slower rate of pressure loss.
- The cooler running temperature increases the life of tyre by upto 20% when compared to air.
- It also improves road handling.
- Better road grip.
- Dry nature of Nitrogen reduces corrosion.
Why Nitrogen safer?
We have already discussed about the benefits, in which increased life of tyre and better road handling with increased grip plays a significant role in road safety.
Commonly, the top three reasons for blow-outs are poor condition, overloading and under-inflation. Poor condition of tyre are caused by irresponsible drivers who runs the vehicles for long distances without maintenance. Over loading also is a result of irresponsible drivers and absence of strict laws. But we can definately contribute something for under-inflation, and the answer might be fill nitrogen gas in tyre.
Many branded tyre companies have already supported the use of Nitrogen gas in tyres. The Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company in the USA stated in a bulletin that it supports the use of nitrogen as an inflation gas in all Goodyear products and it will not affect its tyre warranties. Similarly, Michelin USA supports Nitrogen based on its ability to retain pressure for a long period of time.
The Government is continuously working to promote awareness on road safety, encouraging safer road infrastructures, enforcement of safety laws and inclusion of various intelligent technologies. One such promotion is use of Nitrogen gas in tyres for inflation, along with number of preventive measures to reduce road accidents.
