Why 10,000 Pounds of Rubber are Stripped From Runways | Cars Insider

[@grahamsalmons2027]

I am pilot flying into LHR/LGW regularly. A couple of weeks ago, low cloud forced auto landing at LGW (CAT I STILL requires visual reference even for auto land). UK strips are properly maintained and thanks to the brightness of the lights I acquired visual reference with 60’ to go. Saving going into full LVP saves huge delays, wasted fuel (while aircraft hold) and people’s travel plans. The difference when going to some countries abroad is marked. The work these guys do is safety essential. ❤ to them.

[@asimismo6476]

FKU

[@MohammadTaher]

Hi Graham, Thank you so much! Im mohammad in the video and show videos of behind the scenes on my page !

[@grahamsalmons2027]

@@MohammadTaher No thank YOU! I mean it sincerely. I’ll go and check your page too! I’ll see your work in a couple of weeks (LGW-UVF!)

[@southparklion]

How much rubber accumulates on runways at smaller airports that just don't keep up with rubber deposition? Is there a maximum rubber standard? How unsafe do they become?

[@grahamsalmons2027]

@@southparklion I’m going to let Mohammed give his more informed answer, but my guess is the problem is much less acute, because they are much smaller lighter aircraft going in, with fewer wheels. A Boeing 777 can weigh 250 tons on landing and has 14 wheels. A Dash-8 Q400 won’t weigh more than 28 tons on landing and has six. A Boeing 777 approach speed will be around 130-140 kts, a Dash-8 maybe 100-110. And a Dash-8 is a comparatively heavy regional aircraft. I’m thinking of Southampton specifically. When I was base manager there I think we used to clean rubber once or twice a year (but I’m sure someone will correct me!) and the guys were excellent at cleaning runway lights if we observed they were dim. Something else about runway lighting: big airports like LHR and LGW have touchdown zone lights buried in the runway as part of CAT III approach systems - such lighting is mandatory for this. They also require centreline lights, typically with 15m spacing. A smaller regional airport has little requirement for such high precision approach capability as the aircraft that serve it aren’t so equipped. As a result they wont have touchdown arrays or possibly even centreline lights. So lighting issues are less acute. Finally, regional airports just aren’t as busy. LHR has departures and arrivals every minute (or less) at its peak, where’s airports such as Southampton tend to have periods of activity (for example first thing, lunchtime, evening) but the rest of the time are quiet. The sheer volume of traffic is much lower, consequently so is rubber deposition. For those more expert than I please comment and correct as appropriate!

[@jefflindeman]

Even as a private pilot, I never really thought about this before. Fascinating stuff. Respect to those who keep our world functioning.

[@billlets5460]

Wow.

[@4seeableTV]

They could've gone into a bit more detail on the actual removal of the thickest rubber on the runway. We see what looks like melted rubber being collected, but they don't really discuss it. They went on too much about the lights.

[@fifafutwizard]

Alright big time…

[@jessihawkins9116]

gee I’d feel real safe flying with you 😒

[@thejackbox]

@@fifafutwizard privet jet pilots are pilots to..

[@TheGonkDroid]

As airport operations personnel it's always cool too see stuff like this covered for the public to see. So much interesting stuff imo

[@kylehenline3245]

He hit the nail on the head when he said it's something people never really think about. 10k pounds a day holy cow.

[@tompw3141]

That's five tons!

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

That's a big lie though, divide that by 100.

[@kylehenline3245]

@@Iseenoobpeoples Pretty sure at busy airports it is way more than 100 pounds a day but point taken.

[@fantabuloussnuffaluffagus]

@@Iseenoobpeoples 10,000 lbs divided by 1300 daily aircraft movements is about 15 lbs per landing (half of aircraft movements are takeoffs). That aligns rather well with the 20 lbs for an A380 landing quoted in the video. 10k pounds/day is the right order of magnitude.

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

@@fantabuloussnuffaluffagus 90% goes up in smoke and is not laid on the tarmac.

[@dr.barbeque2767]

Not only is lighting important for any approach in poor visibility or night conditions, it's actually legally considered to be part of the Instrument Landing System (ILS)

[@NOOne-li1pj]

Do you know what is ILS? If not don’t comment on it.

[@dr.barbeque2767]

@@NOOne-li1pj AIM 1-1-9 Subpart a (3)(c): "The system may be divided functionally into three parts: Guidance information: localizer, glide slope. Range information: marker beacon, DME. Visual information: approach lights, touchdown and centerline lights, runway lights."

[@RikestRik42]

Right. Even when bringing a plane in on ILS, the pilot needs to be able to see the runway before reaching minimum altitude which is usually 200' AGL. If the field isn't in site by the time minimums are reached, a go around is required.

[@sharpvolt2669]

@@NOOne-li1pj chill my guy

[@VictoryAviation]

@@NOOne-li1pj He's 100% correct. It says it right in the FAR under what components of a precision ILS exist. You're definitely out of your element Donny.

[@ColeRees]

For people wondering why the wheels on planes don’t spin up before landing, it has to do with the inertia generated by the wheels spinning. It makes corrections by the pilot significantly harder and landing much more dangerous.

[@ThomasBomb45]

they'd be little gyroscopes! Plus the systems to spin up tires would add extra things that could fail, and need maintenance etc

[@sheppodiddly]

Ha, always wondered this. Thanks!

[@believeachieve2847]

@@ThomasBomb45 and weight

[@tw25rw]

I was thinking they should design the tread of the tyre so that the airflow starts them spinning. But what you say makes sense.

[@Xxtictoc1216xX]

My exact thought answers thank you

[@ronnieam33]

Very interesting, I never thought about the rubber on runways.

[@stinzz3]

One thing I love about aviation is, you will always learn something new.

[@rackets001]

As an ILS technician with the FAA, I found this video to be pretty interesting. 👍 I always like when the city takes a runway out of service. Then I have a free window to check up on our systems without additional service interruptions! Thanks city guys! Also, thanks for not scraping my localizer ground-check paint marks off the runway!

[@RickySpanish168]

what

[@bobbysenterprises3220]

No idea why I never thought to wonder about this thanks.

[@nicksweet55]

The thing is though on a normal dry day rubber to rubber contact is very strong and that’s why drag strips, race tracks etc. become more grippy once the rubber from tires has been laid down after tons of laps or runs down the strip. However yes during wet weather it becomes very slick.

[@MendTheWorld]

Thanks for that clarification regarding the coefficients of friction. I'm just supposing, but I think another aspect of wet runways would be that if an accumulation of rubber is filling the grooves in the concrete, water will not be able to flow off as readily and hydroplaning will occur.

[@AndreySloan_is_a_cnut]

@@MendTheWorld - You are 100% correct - that is a significant consideration as well as the direct reduction in the Coefficient of Friction in such wet conditions!

[@Evermoregreen23451]

Nice to see someone talk so passionately about how they do their work.

[@holocene2164]

Thank you for this video. I had never thought of the work involved in maintaining those runaways before but I am now very appreciative of all the work being done "behind the scene" so to speak.

[@istolejahresshipandilldoit3499]

Anybody noticed that destroyed plane at 2:24?

[@get2dachoppa249]

It was this accident: "19 May 2013, at approximately 0950 Zulu (1420 local), a C-130J, tail number (T/N) 04-3144, assigned to the 41st Airlift Squadron, 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB), Arkansas, ran off the end of a runway at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank, Northeast, Afghanistan, struck a ditch which collapsed the nose gear and eventually ripped the right main landing gear from the fuselage. The right outboard engine struck the ground, pressurized fuel and oil lines were broken, fluid was sprayed over the cracked engine casing, and the right wing caught fire."

[@lightsoul5812]

@@get2dachoppa249 dope 😂

[@zaffo757]

@@get2dachoppa249 Shank...mortar city. Don't miss it.

[@get2dachoppa249]

@@zaffo757 I was at Kandahar for a good while, don't miss it either.

[@jamaljames2578]

Always watching from Georgetown Guyana south America 🇬🇾🇬🇾🇬🇾

[@Comet-2011-W3-Lovejoy]

Hebes Chasma, Valles Marineris, Mars 🔴

[@jamessutherland5107]

That was an excellent video. A rather obscure topic very well explained. Thank you

[@MohammadTaher]

My pleasure

[@joostluyten_ON2OT]

Just a thought : Would some kind of low-tech small windmill that drives the wheels help? So that the wheels get up to speed before hitting the ground.

[@PrismarineGaming]

Probably not, when the tires touch down and you see all the white smoke they're getting very hot which makes them stickier and allows for more braking.

[@norgeek]

The cost benefit isn't there. The additional weight of anything powerful enough to drive the wheels plus the costs for getting it certified plus the costs for ongoing maintenance wouldn't be less than the cost of the reduction in tire wear, and it would probably be minimal compared to what is lost trying to stop how many tons of airplane seconds later anyway

[@JudeFurr]

Manual transmission commercial airliners have clutches, the pilot just needs to upshift

[@briancunningham483]

This was tried in WW II using pockets on the side of the tire. The problem is that spinning tires become gyroscopes that impede the ability of the plane to maneuver at a critical time

[@luka3532]

@@briancunningham483 Thanks for the info, that makes perfect sense as to why that hasn't been implemented.

[@bubbakemp5817]

The normal average person probably would not have known about this! I knew a little because I was in the Air Force for 20 years. Thanks for sharing!

[@garyjohnson1970]

I was the guy that sprayed the cracks so weeds didn't grow, all around the fuel tanks and drainage. I got to be on the runway while a Concord took off, at JFK. Well, extremely close to the runway....

[@imogen1]

Know what doesn't waste rubber when you reach your destination? Trains.

[@lukmanalghdamsi3189]

uh...i see you are an Adam something enjoyer

[@imogen1]

@@lukmanalghdamsi3189 I have been seen

[@joewoodchuck3824]

I was totally unaware of all this. I was simply thinking that most of the landing rubber went up in smoke.

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

Because it's a big lie divide the number by 100

[@anglo69]

@@Iseenoobpeoples what?

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

@@anglo69 You must have low knowledge about science, I'm I right?

[@jackcumins6320]

@@Iseenoobpeoples and you have no knowledge about English. You can prove nothing

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

@@jackcumins6320 I can spot BS when I see it. I speak multiple languages how about you?

[@maxwellcrazycat9204]

So what becomes of the rubber that is removed?

[@akdomun]

Fantastic - I've always wondered where the rubber ends up as vehicles tires wear out. Can the recovered rubber be recycled into new tire compounds afterwards?

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

FWIW, decades ago a vehicle tire manufacturer looked at the disposition of worn off or shredded tire rubber and concluded about 95% of it stays on the road or within a few meters on either side.

[@grab2337]

It might be able to be recovered and recycled, but it probably isn't since it is contaminated with a bunch of other stuff also on the runway.

[@tonkabear2369]

So interesting, thank you

[@DimSum9685]

I have been involved in aviation and have flown quite a bit throughout my life since i was a small child. I never once thought how they maintain the runways. At La Guardia Airport in NYC, they close one runway on a Saturday morning and so maintenance on it. But I never thought what it involves. This is amazing!

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

What’s hilarious is that this is the complete opposite of what happens to race tracks, you want the added rubber to the track to make it slick to increase speed and fuel mileage, of course in some racing series they strip the rubber because tire brands want to keep their tire formulas secret

[@clayboi6939]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. Thanks for the laugh.

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

@@clayboi6939 what part is dumb

[@clayboi6939]

@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 well all of it but especially the part where race tracks want to add rubber to thier tracks to make them slick

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

@@clayboi6939 Race tracks don’t want the added rubber, the drivers want the added rubber. Race tracks will diamond grind the track to add friction and that causes a layer of rubber to form

[@gnranger]

@@clayboi6939 He’s not wrong. A green track is slower and has increased wear.

[@AshleyChuChu]

Is it possible to reduce the load of the tires if they were already spinning slightly in the forward direction or would that cause other issues?

[@propbraker]

Maybe it would help? But I would think that the massive weight of the aircraft would still cause the tire to deposit rubber. Plus, having a motor to turn the tires is just added weight that won’t be good. Weight is everything.

[@rtarouca]

Other people have made this comment. It seems that only beyond 50% spin increase (considering the ground speed) this would be advantageous. Until now only geared motors with vanes were tried. There was a suggestion to use special fairings or light attachments to wheels which could spin it up. However, it was also suggested that innovation is difficult in aviation despite planes being very sophisticated.

[@propbraker]

I just remembered that pilots can pre set their brakes, so when they land they already have the brakes helping to slow down the jet. So maybe having a pre spinning tire is not a good idea, don’t want a bunch of jets over shooting runways. Have a good one.

[@grab2337]

It would have to speed up considerably fast just to make a minute difference in the amount of rubber left on the runway, and such a device would need to be pretty powerful to spin such a heavy & large object to such speeds; hence the device itself would be quite heavy.

[@milaandahiya]

I really doubt the cleaning process is that expensive though, so it's easier to just deal with it then retrofit plane wheels with an expensive and heavy technology.

[@B4by-G1r4ff3]

I knew there was a team of people cleaning between the last and 1st flight,s but didn't ralise how much went into it, thanks for keeping it safe guys.

[@BrianP1217]

It would be nice to have a system that spins the tires up to landing speed just before touchdown. Then they could save 10,000 lbs of rubber every year, or roughly 38 tires worth.

[@SmackcrackIV]

And waste a whole lot more time, effort, weight on the planes and obviously money both coming up with (and certifying) and maintaining such systems. The idea sounds nice but if you even think about it for a few minutes, you’ll probably find even more reasons not to

[@thejeff731]

What do they do with all the collected rubber?

[@00bean00]

Maybe they make playgrounds with it

[@Simon-ef1zj]

Can the planes not be designed to have the wheels spinning, prior to contact with the runway?

[@Paintplayer1]

I'm about to travel to Japan and this made me even more grateful for the folks who enable air travel every day

[@maxwellcrazycat9204]

I never thought about what happens to all of that rubber. Thanks much for the information. I used to work at an airport. Good to know.

[@TheKingacevedo]

...Traction while landing on a wet runway. Yes, that's an important one at Heathrow airport. I was once in the back of a commercial plane when it landed there during typical wet conditions, I could feel the back of the plane sliding back and forth due to the slick surface. Not a sensation one wants to feel in the back of a plane traveling on the ground at high speeds.

[@jonathandevries2828]

would spinning up the tires before landing reduce the amount of rubber lost?

[@koryabel6319]

Great informative video! Interesting how rubber tires which are grippy make the tarmac slippery

[@DivinePeace1102]

You learn something new everyday!!!

[@austindurham5736]

Yeah dude like you said, ive literally never thought about this or thought it was an issue. So many things that make our world work everyday.

[@Darknamja]

Nice bit of footage of the Airmen maintaining their runway. 😉

[@nonethelessfirst8519]

I might not live around a very busy plane commerce area but I can honestly say this is something I have never actually thought about. Interesting

[@phazinlazersmusic2848]

If their problem with lights is they cant clean all of them in one night, why not just have interchangeable lights that you could swap in and out, then maintain off-site? They could just quickly swap the lights using pre-existing plug and play technology, then clean the dirty lights, and when the clean lights get dirty, swap them out again. This would also allow quick replacement/repair of damaged lights as well

[@arjunyg4655]

I don’t think that’s an actual problem…they only clean them twice a week, so they’re not exactly short for time..

[@MonkeNeuronActivated]

It showed in the video they can and do remove lights on a schedule. 3:13 you can see one removed, and 3:52 you can see one in the runway, and see the bolts they undo to remove them. They do maintain then off-site since they can't do all of them at once.

[@AndreySloan_is_a_cnut]

You can’t have ANYTHING which could possibly come loose easily due to foreign object ingestion risks, hence why most maintenance for in-runway lighting is either minor in place things like cleaning, changing bulbs/lenses and such or remove and replace the fixture for off-site service.

[@dannr5073]

So why not spin the tires for less friction when landing?

[@melonslice3177]

Haven't watched the video yet. But the friction between the plane and runway convers kinetic energy from the plane into thermal energy. So if you reduce the friction you also reduce the force with which the plane can break which is problematic for obvious reasons.

[@andrieslouw6588]

​@@melonslice3177 making the wheels spin before touchdown doesn't reduce the static friction. So it wouldn't reduce the braking power. It will only reduce the kinetic friction - which would mean less tyre wear.

[@cars_and_coffee_by_bruno]

the main reason is landing on wet runways. That brute first contact helps disperse water and ensure the tires touch the tarmac before the brakes are applied. Spinning wheels make it far more likely to aquaplane. You need the tires to drag so they can "cut thru" the water.

[@cars_and_coffee_by_bruno]

@@andrieslouw6588 the main reason is landing on wet runways. That brute first contact helps disperse water and ensure the tires touch the tarmac before the brakes are applied. Spinning wheels make it far more likely to aquaplane. You need the tires to drag so they can "cut thru" the water.

[@nixl3518]

@@cars_and_coffee_by_bruno Where did you come up with this idea? The water would be displaced simply by the weight of the plane landing on the tarmac no matter what the speed of the wheel! All these theories as to why we don’t pre-spin the wheels just don’t gel!

[@wizkid1]

Is it possible and or feasible to spin up the tires before impact to match touchdowm speed? Would this even make a difference or more harm then good?

[@RoyalMela]

Any extra mechanical solution is another mechanical issue. More service, more malfunctions and so on. Add weight, more pressure on landing gear and more maintenance and service. Also spinning wheels become gyroscopes and make plane harder to maneuver.

[@neoncolours]

so spinning up the wheels before landing would be beneficial. sounds like a case for "small" electric motors in the wheels. would make taxiing and pushback easier/more efficient as well.

[@anglo69]

it would not be more efficient. and a small motor would not work for a 70 tonne 737.

[@Superfastjellyfish669]

Muhammed is a very handsome guy

[@osk-wg2di]

thats gay

[@lezhu6856]

That's haram

[@uyoooooo_4]

Halal mod

[@uyoooooo_4]

Why does it have to do with Muhammad

[@navyseal1689]

Idk, he looks very average to me

[@lRainZz]

Why are the wheels of a plane not brought up to speed shortly before touchign the ground? Couldn't a (comparably) small electric motor do this? Or is the exact moment of contact important for decreasing the momentum of the plane?

[@andrewsang4688]

Why not just spin up the wheel initially closer to what is approximately ground speed? That would have the added benefit of reducing tire wear.

[@RoyalMela]

Any extra mechanical solution is another mechanical issue. More service, more malfunctions and so on. Add weight, more pressure on landing gear and more maintenance and service. Also spinning wheels become gyroscopes and make plane harder to maneuver.

[@andrewsang4688]

@@RoyalMela that's true. Ideally there could be some sort of passive system, ie maybe even using the wind speed to spin tires up to speed. Good point on the gyroscopes though.

[@jamest2401]

Regarding the clip at around 3:00; the Boeing 727 night landing, with the pilot apparently experiencing difficulty in putting her nose on the ground; even appearing as if she were about to sit on her tail; what is that footage from? And what is going on there?

[@allperfect3335]

Always wondered why they didn’t put motors on the plane that speeds up the wheels prior to landing to the same speed as the plane. Would save a ton of money in tires changes and lost time

[@paulbradford6475]

If you "motorise" the wheels of an aircraft and these pre-spinning wheels touch down at any off-angle to the direction of travel of the aircraft, the aircraft will careen off the runway.

[@mrcontroversy222]

weight. fuel. efficiency

[@cars_and_coffee_by_bruno]

The added weight of the motors would increase fuel consumption. It has been calculated already and it is cheaper to change tires than to carry extra weight and have extra maintenance of said motors the main reason is landing on wet runways. That brute first contact helps disperse water and ensure the tires touch the tarmac before the brakes are applied. Spinning wheels make it far more likely to aquaplane. You need the tires to drag so they can "cut thru" the water.

[@kco1270]

I doubt that spinning wheels could have enough momentum to have any significant effect on these aircraft, but agreed that they often land with some amount of crab, so the wheels will skid in any case.

[@Quarterpounderspatch]

I was told the centifugal forces without being under load would shred them to pieces.

[@fhowland]

Do they recycle the rubber?

[@betterchris11]

Wonder what happened to that C-130J in the back at 2:25 in the video. It’s all messed up like it crash landed

[@Leftplayer1]

“How many machines does it take to change a lightbulb?” “Yes”

[@MrFreeagent505]

The amount of rubber laid down by a single jumbo jet landing is insane.

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

It's a big lie divide the number by 100

[@RogierYou]

What happens with the rubber that is scraped off the runway?

[@stevencramsie9172]

It’s possible the rubber gets dried out and then recycled along with car tires that are no longer useful.

[@samspade8612]

Excellent informative video, critical stuff we take for granted.

[@Iseenoobpeoples]

It's a big lie divide the number by 100

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

VERY INTERESTING 🧐 THANKS FOR SHARING THIS 🤗💚💚💚

[@elliott7268]

Pilot here, nice video but your math on how much rubber is deposited on a runway every landing can not be at all accurate. Someone else wrote a great thread in the comments going into detail. Disappointing.

[@shaneintegra]

People like him are the type of people who make it to the top. Even though he doesn't need to, he wants the pilots input. That helps the machine of a business run smoother and more efficiently

[@bryancardo497]

Always wondered about this! And for F1 race tracks as well

[@xlynx9]

It seems if large aircraft can accurately measure ground speed, they could be engineered to pre-spin their wheels, and there could be considerable cost savings. But one issue could be if one side failed to spin up, that could send the aircraft off course at touchdown.

[@RoyalMela]

Any extra mechanical solution is another mechanical issue. More service, more malfunctions and so on. Add weight, more pressure on landing gear and more maintenance and service. Also spinning wheels become gyroscopes and make plane harder to maneuver.

[@ankittiwari55555]

I didn't know about this at all ! .... Amazing ! .... 🙂 ....

[@CornDogg87]

Cool vid. Anyone else notice @2:25 the crashed C130?

[@MendTheWorld]

I came across this interesting info researching airplane tires: It's always a sensitive subject when you discuss the causes of accidents, or the fact that retreaded aircraft tires do much better than original ones. Retreaded tires get 30 to 50 percent more landings than new ones

[@protogenxl]

A Ryanair flight typically deposits 9 to 12 pounds of rubber on a runway

[@Lyndiloo]

God bless you for giving us the answer within the first 30 seconds.

[@jarredtremain4644]

Another thought, with lights maybe have a automatic roll-off system built into lights, like motocross racers wear on their goggles. Cheaper way would be tearoff lenses like in mx. We get mud, sand, dirt and rocks slam into our googles stopping you from seeing while doing one of the most dangerous sports. 1 little pull or tear and you have 100% vision again.

[@aliguled2166]

I never knew this activity before. Fascinating

[@rastomasstanford7708]

See jobs that are important but they never tell you about. To the people who do this job. You are my heros.

[@robertfencl4401]

Very informational. Doesn't seem that Midway in Chicago does it often enough.

[@loooopeytunes]

What if every tires have a small electric motor that can spin the tires to match the ground speed on landing, and to reduce rubber scrubbing?

[@marz4834]

The tires need friction to land, doin this might even lenghten the landing strip needed for the plane to land

[@ru2225]

This would mean you'd need longer runways lol.

[@nixl3518]

@@marz4834 Horse pucky!!

[@nixl3518]

@@ru2225 Horse pucky!!

[@marcmcreynolds2827]

Tire pre-rotation has been looked at within the industry for about seventy years, including flight testing by the US Air Force. The solutions (vanes, electric motors) have always proven to be worse than the problem.

[@Surga_myth_dewa_real]

So the next plan is better on double runway or double place then,destination could be mantainance the run way or other methode that need double system back up,,thanks,,hhe

[@sudarshankj]

It’s with everything’s in the world, that for what’s happening well and right, we fail to notice and estimate how many people have been working to make it right. But we realise them only when something goes wrong. It takes effort and wisdom to see and appreciate what’s contributing to something’s success before it becomes an evident failures.

[@hueginvieny7959]

Great video

[@deusexaethera]

People ask "why not spin up the tires before touchdown?" The answer I've gotten from actual pilots is because the gyroscopic action of the tires is noticeable and very undesirable when lining up for touchdown.

[@asifshahbaz-n8g]

excellent video

[@rhtservicesllc]

Would be curious to know what is done with the rubber that is removed from the runway? It is recycled and made into new tires or other products?

[@onurtezcan2896]

Small motor on each wheel to bring the wheel speed inline with ground speed for the landing. Problem solved.

[@arctr00perecho]

I was thinking the same thing. But I’m wondering if the wheels gripping before reaching the same speed adds a bit of drag, helping slow down the plane. I wonder if the wheel speed are the same as ground speed the whole landing, the plane would take longer to come to a slow speed

[@onurtezcan2896]

@@arctr00perecho good point there with slowing it down. I’m sure it helps. It just seems that it comes at a great cost. Anyhow I’m no rocket scientist and there are much smarter people to figure this stuff out :)

[@arctr00perecho]

@@onurtezcan2896 haha I feel you. I’m taking physics courses in college rn and this seems like a perfect question to ask in class

[@onurtezcan2896]

@@arctr00perecho it probably comes down to added weight of such system, overcoming the cost of having to replace tires and maintain driveways.

[@arctr00perecho]

@@onurtezcan2896 that’s true. Yea cause the weight coming down on the wheel adds a ton of pressure and friction directly on the wheels at point of contact with the ground, which builds up heat. The wheel speed probably affects the overall wear on the tires but I’m curious if changing it would result in minuscule differences. The pressure is helped by the plane’s suspension but just like cars or other wheeled vehicles, the wheels add cushion as well, which absorbs energy. It make sense that the wheels would be an expendable part that is cheaper and easier to replace compared to a more expensive part structurally on or within the plane. So yes it seems there are several factors that add to the wear. Im gonna ask my professor about it today.

[@MARKE911]

That sounds like a very important and critical job. I think I would enjoy doing this. How does one find a job like this?

[@secrecy3915]

Would it work to spin the tires up to speed or would that negatively affect landing?

[@PB-he6em1]

Pilots rely on stopped tires to slow the plane on landing. Also spinning up the tires would require equipment and energy carried around all the time.

[@secrecy3915]

@@PB-he6em1 better the tires than specialized brake pads huh?

[@PB-he6em1]

They use special brake pads too. However as a wear item pilots do not like to create downtime by wearing them out through a lot of use if they don’t have to. You might want to look up thrust reversers those play into stopping the plane too.

[@STANDREWSBEACH]

Simply mind-blowing! Amazing work by amazing people, they keep the world connected in so many ways 👏👏💯👌

[@olegkostyuchenko5593]

I used to travel by plane a lot. Thank you for your job, guys!

[@cheagle464]

So are they able to recycle that rubber or do they use it as fuel somewhere.

[@MikeA15206]

I’m an old man, I never knew this! So thanks!

[@dimetime35c]

I wonder if there is a way to reduce or negate this? Would having a system that spun the tires so its not a dead stop help?

[@Slash1066]

I have often wondered this, but the process of getting the stationary wheels up to speed actually takes quite a lot of kinetic energy from the plane so it helps to slow it down more than landing with spun up wheels, plus the plane doesn't have to carry systems to do this either

[@dimetime35c]

@@Slash1066 linear induction motor. That can be used to both bring the tire up to speed then use regenerative breaking to slow down and reuse some or all the energy used.

[@grab2337]

@@dimetime35c There's nowhere that the reusable energy would need to go that isn't already able to be energized through existent means. Plus, the wheels are really heavy and a very large and heavy motor would be required to spin them which effectively negates their entire advantage

[@jpeterman57]

@@grab2337 among other problems with it.

[@starkidforlife136]

can’t we have technology that spins the tires of a plane to match the plane’s landing speed to minimise the rubber loss?

[@jajajajajaja867]

That’s what I was thinking, the motors don’t have to have a lot of torque to spin them in mid air and shouldn’t affect slowdown if there is a fault and they keep turning

[@starkidforlife136]

@@jajajajajaja867 probably is a reason to not having a system like that otherwise we would already had it

[@projectdelta50]

"Like trying to fly a plane into a black hole" that's actually rather easy to do since of how big those are and not to mention gravity will assist in the pull in

[@charlesrkiss]

If this is such a problem, why are not wheels made to rotate in synchrony with the aircraft landing speed no there is minimal friction when the wheels make initial contact with the runway?

[@M.Godfrey]

Makes total sense. I never thought to much into it, but those wheels go from not moving … to moving very quickly instantly lol

[@ashishm]

How much rubber can be saved by accelerating the wheels before landing and hence reducing the friction?

[@Jamon11]

This guy Mohammad Taher has a small KZbin channel but it’s amazing to see for young aerospace Engineers!

[@DSPrints_]

Satisfying job that

[@Coretron]

There is no way this is accurate! From the wiki on aircraft tire: A 777 tire weighs 260lbs and lasts 300 landings. So do the math there... A lot of the tire weight is in parts other than the actual tread, there are many layers under the tread to give the tire strength. The actual tread has to be less than 10% so maybe 26 lbs and this video is saying it loses 1.5lbs per landing so would have to be changed every 17 landings.

[@TheAndyMaan]

Could they not reduce this by getting the wheels spinning in the air by fitting a simple fan blade system which catches the air as the plane is flying? This could stop that initial scrub as the stationary tyres hit the tarmac.

[@anglo69]

as they say, a mechanical solution is another mechanical problem.

[@jamesrader3329]

Never knew that. Thank you for sharing very interesting

[@tellegraammemartijndoolaard2]

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[@allezvenga7617]

Thanks for your sharing

[@jonknyc]

Something is not adding up - there is no way *each tire* is losing 1.5 pounds of rubber *per landing*. A Boeing 757 main tire weighs about 150 lbs total, so you’d have no rubber at all after 100 landings, and the tire would certainly fail much sooner. Since these planes might do 3 landings a day, you’d need to replace all tires every week or so. There’s no way that is happening.

[@cruisinguy6024]

Yeah this isn’t mathing. It’s not even close to being in the ballpark. Like, just visualizing 10,000 pounds of rubber on one section of runway is mind boggling. There would be a massive mound of rubber that would be visible from far away. If you figure the average passenger car tire weighs 25 pounds then thats 400 tires worth of rubber every day. It’s just not possible.

[@NOOne-li1pj]

These insider editions always talk about garbage. They just want to grab attention.

[@brian8833]

Average tire life cycle is 200+ landings. If each tire loses 1.5 pounds of rubber per landing, and an aircraft tire weighs 100-200 pounds, you'd be out of rubber in a week, assuming you could even consume the entire weight of the tire, which is not the case.

[@nixl3518]

Even if the math is wrong the problem still exists! There still is a massive amount of rubber deposited on the runways every time a plane lands and that has to be cleaned up! Preventing that from happening is a much cheaper and safer way of dealing with the problem.

[@nixl3518]

You forgot to consider all the rubber the passengers ingest into their lungs!! That will take care of the imbalance! :)

[@bodystomp5302]

Very interesting video.

[@billyhillk5726]

Excellent 👍🇺🇸 Thank you for sharing this. Mad respect to all the men & women who work hard in the background for us to stay safe 👍👍👍🇺🇸

[@travelworld2738]

Why not use motors to get the wheels moving to the required speed while making a landing? Can save costs and make it more safer for landings?

[@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330]

How does this get done on aircraft carriers?

[@nixl3518]

It's a short runway and the jets are small and light by comparison to the heavy passenger jets and I bet the salt water and salty air play a role in keeping the deck clean, though I'm sure they have some kind of machine to clean it off. Also, since all the jets land and stop with the use of a tail hook, the problem is very different than on the land runway.

Also, on aircraft carriers most (if not all) of the stopping is done by the arresting cables, so you rely less on the brakes and the friction of the tires. I guess they might also clean the deck as part of their daily check for FOD (Foreign Object Debris).