In 2014 a significant number of fatal accidents involving large tyre inflation occurred. This prompted the Health and Safety Authority to issue a safety alert to highlight the need for safe procedures during large tyre inflation in all work sectors.
First of all we are
In 2014 a significant number of fatal accidents involving large tyre inflation occurred. This prompted the Health and Safety Authority to issue a safety alert to highlight the need for safe procedures during large tyre inflation in all work sectors.
First of all we are going to look at the dangers that are associated with large tyre inflation.
Dangers of Explosive Energy Stored In Tyres
A surprisingly large amount of energy is stored within inflated tyres. For example, the sidewall of a typical commercial vehicle tyre typically has over 34 tonnes of force acting on it.
This force is well below the typical failure point that tyres are designed to withstand but if the tyre is damaged or used while flat (run flat), or significantly under-inflated, they may fail due to weak points that are created.
The force contained within a tyre can then be released explosively if the tyre fails and can result in a destructive air blast and the projection of tyre particles are a very high speed. These types of tyre explosion have led to numerous deaths.
Risk of Failure
Removal, replacement and inflation of tyres is an extremely common practice, so it may seem a simple task, but, if you think about it, If something goes wrong, such as the tyre failing, it can cause serious injury and even death from:
- Explosion of the tyre or disintegration of the wheel during inflation.
- Manual handling of the tyre and wheel.
- Collapse of an elevated vehicle.
Cuts and splits should be clearly visible by inspection and there are also industry standards and measures on whether a repair should be attempted or the wheel scrapped.
This said, there could still be damage to the internal steel or textile cords may not be obvious with a visual inspection.
This internal damage may not become obvious until the tyre is re-inflated and a bulge occurs in the wall of the tyre around the weakened point. The extra force placed on the adjacent cords can cause them to break or snap in quick succession, until the casing splits apart, which can often happen in a violent manner. This is commonly known as a ‘zipper-failure’.
To Reduce the Risk of Violent Explosion
Something that is very important to do, before deflating a tyre, is to check the pressure and chalk the reading on the tyre wall. One thing to keep in mind is that low tyre pressure may have caused tyre damage due to stress on the tyre wall.
Here are some points you remember when deflating or inflating a tyre:
- Do not inflate any tyre that has been significantly under-inflated until it has gone through thorough test