MANUFACTURING: Hot Rayon

Inside an automobile tire streaking along at 50 or 60 miles an hour, the temperature often hits 220° F. This heat bakes the cotton cord, makes the whole tire wear out. After years of searching for a heat-resisting fabric, several manufacturers have lately experimented with rayon. Unlike cotton, which grows weaker under heat, rayon grows stronger (up to about 175°); at 200° it has about 45% more tensile strength than cotton. Last month, a U. S. Rubber Co. subsidiary brought out the first rayon-cord passenger-car tire. Last week, Goodyear Tire & Rubber...

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