Air craft tyres?

Question

why air plane tyres filled with nitrogen and not air?

Answer 1

I think aircraft tyres use Nitrogen instead of air because Nitrogen is totally non flammable, and does not support combustion, and also I believe it has better properties re leaks, as it does not find its way through tyre and tube walls so easily as air, Rubber is not totally proof against leaks, and if you were to use Helium, for example, it would leak out quite quickly, ( although it is also not able to support combustion.)

I should say, thet I'm no expert on aircraft matters, so you may get a better answer later, Repairman.

Answer 2

Flamability has little if anything to do with it. That's why smaller aircraft use simple compressed air as it is cheaper than nitrogen. The main reason nitrogen is used in larger high flying aircraft is because of it's near total lack of moisture that could freeze at higher altitudes.

Answer 3

The inert nature of nitrogen means the tyre pressure does not change with atmospheric conditions; i.e. there is little danger of the tyre exploding with the change in temperature from below freezing 5 minutes before landing to very hot upon first contact with the ground.

Some people (myself included) have put nitrogen in car tyres if you travel to mountains for skiing - what it means is regardless of the road conditions the amount of tyre contact you have with the road remains constant.

Answer 4

Since the air we breathe every day is about 78% nitrogen to start with, all the claims about less chance of fires and explosions, and the techno-babble about bigger molecules  falls a bit short...  

Aircraft wheels are made of aluminum and other more exotic metals, which will corrode rather rapidly in a closed  environment containing moisture and oxygen. Corrosion = less strength, and a corroded wheel is more likely to fail under the stress of an aircraft landing.

Nitrogen is an inert gas, and does not promote corrosion inside the aircraft wheel assembly.

Answer 5

Nitrogen is an inert gas, which makes it safer to use for this type of application. Normal compressed air contains oxygen, which supports combustion, so if a plane caught fire, the tyres would add to the effect if filled with air. In addition, nitrigen contains hardly any moisture, therefore freezing risks are reduced, plus another advantage of less nmoisture, is less rust/corrsion of theel wheel rim.

Commercial airlines/U.S. military aircraft: The Federal Aviation Administration requires nitrogen in many aircraft tires because it reduces the potential for vapor freezing at high altitudes and decreases the potential for explosions.

Answer 6

They are thinking of filling Aircraft tyres with Human Ruby Murry wind, this would give out a terrible stink if there was a leek, what a great safety idea.

Answer 7

Aircraft tires are filled with nitrogen for several reasons.  JetDoc is correct about corrosion, but also it is because nitrogen is more stable than compressed air.  Meaning its volume does not change as much as compressed air does when it is hot or cold.  When aircraft fly at altitude, it is cold, and the tires would lose pressure due to the decreased temperature. Then, when they land there is an extreme temperature change when the tires hit the ground at over 100 MPH.  With compressed air the tires would heat up and expand rapidly and explode.

Answer 8

Because nitrogen is non flammable.