ORDNANCE KEEPS 'EM ROLLING - What the Fleet Men May Learn from Army Tests of Synthetic Tires

THE abrupt stoppage of crude rubber imports early in 1942 called for immediate crystallization of a program to produce, test, and use synthetic rubber as fast as made available for tires for military and commercial motor transportation. The Ordnance Department and the rubber industry pooled their resources of synthetic rubber, of tire know-how, and of testing facilities, to initiate a tire testing program heretofore unapproached in magnitude of effort.

Conclusions of interest to fleet men are that Ordnance and rubber industry have completed a large amount of pioneering development work on military synthetic tires, the results of which are being directly utilized in synthetic tires for commercial service; also, that synthetic tires, to do a good job, require more careful supervision by fleet men respecting speeds, loads, and general maintenance attention than has been practiced in the immediate past with respect to tires made of natural rubber.