Timeline for Why do we need air-filled tires?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2021 at 17:36 | comment | added | cmaster - reinstate monica | @jpa Yes, and for exactly two reasons: 1. They were machined to be as thin as possible (weight savings for science!), and 2. they were made of aluminum. Aluminum is notorious for breaking under repeated stresses where steel can last virtually forever. | |
| May 13, 2021 at 17:32 | comment | added | jpa | While they don't leak out air, solid wheels can break also. Mars rover Curiosity had cracks develop in its wheels, and that's even without any complicated spring material system. | |
| May 13, 2021 at 14:25 | comment | added | Graham | @cmaster-reinstatemonica True enough. I didn't want to go too in-depth on why the Lunar/Mars rovers didn't use air, more just using them as cool examples of those two approaches. | |
| May 11, 2021 at 19:31 | comment | added | cmaster - reinstate monica | Of course, for the extraterrestial tires on luna and mars, the main considerations were weight and zero maintenance. Every kilogram you can safe by not hurling a full set of standard car tires into orbit, is a kilogram that's available for scientific instruments. And you can't simply call a mechanic when you have a flat on mars... | |
| May 11, 2021 at 14:35 | history | answered | Graham | CC BY-SA 4.0 |