DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMS AND AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT FOR IMPROVED RELIABILITY OF USEDTYRES

Abstract

The standardisation of tyre, its safety and maintenance cannot be over emphasized. How reliable are second-hand tyres and their possibility that they will not fail in use, and how efficient are the quality of work done by local/roadside vulcanizers. This thesis assesses and evaluates the reliability of automobile tyres in Nigeria, especially the second-hand tyres popularly called "Tokunbo" tyres and embark on the development of a machine that helps in the removing or fixing of tyre on a car rim when either a tube is to be removed or a tyre is to be removed from a car rim during vulcanisation. This machine is an improvement on the type of toolslimplements used by local/roadside vulcanizers. This device laid emphasis on solving some of the problems facing the local/roadside vulcanizers and the various factors causing damages on tyres. An analysis of tyre~sers and sellers in Nigeria was done in order to determine their knowledge and safety consciousness and the means of identifying a legally acceptable second- hand tyre were also looked into. This project also exposes and analysed the non- public existence oftyre safety and standards in Nigeria by the federal agencies saddled with this responsibility, for example Standards Orgainsation of Nigeria, Federal Road Safety Corps, The Nigeria Customs Service, e.t.c. Also the method of operation of some local/roadside vulcanizers and that of well-established tyre workshops were observed and based on lapses observed a manual tyre removing and fixing device was constructed using the principle of power transmission via a pinion and bevel gear arrangement. The constructed device was tested in order to determine the time it would take to remove or fix a tyre from or into a car rim, numbers of wounds that would be inflicted on the tyre bead during vulcanization. The results of the test shows that using the constructed device for vulcanization, no wound is inflicted on the tyre bead either when a tyre is being removed or fixed from or into a car rim. It also shows that it takes an average of 3mins to break the bead of a tyre, 2mins and 3mins to remove and fix a tyre bead from or into a car rim respectively. The method of operating the machine is simple. The machine ensures a safe working condition with little maintenance while the cost of production is not as much as that of an imported tyre removing/fixing machine. Suggestions on tyre safety tips were given and a means of assisting second-hand tyre buyers was suggested, including what to look out for while buying a second-hand tyre in order to prevent tyre failure in use.