Snow tire chain

Big O Tires, Inc. is North America’s largest franchiser of tire retailers. It is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, and has more than 540 franchises in 21 U.S. states and Canada. It sells its own Big O private brand tires and other brands. In addition to selling and servicing tires, wheels, and alignments, Big O Tires provides basic maintenance and replacement services such as oil changes, battery replacement, struts installation, and brake service. Because Big O Tires is a wholly owned subsidiary of TBC Corporation, its franchisees are located in markets that not served by the corporately-owned Tire Kingdom, NTB, and Merchant Tire chains.

History

The company was founded in 1962, when it split from OK Tires. In 1996, it was acquired by TBC Corporation, which also owns Tire Kingdom, NTB, and Merchant Tire.”TBC to Buy Outstanding Shares of Big O Tires” The New York Times. 1996-05-03. URL retrieved 2006-12-02 In 2006, TBC was acquired by Sumitomo Corporation of America”Sumitomo Corporation of America Completes Acquisition of TBC Corporation”. Business Wire. 2005-11-17. URL retrieved 2006-12-02.. Big O Tires remains a wholly owned subsidiary of TBC Corporation.

In a landmark case in 1977, Big O Tires was awarded $19.6 million from Goodyear over Goodyear’s use of the name “bigfoot” tires. The amount equaled 25% of Goodyear’s advertising budget in the states where Big O operated. The amount was cut on appeal and later settled.Doan, Amy. “Xbox Name May Cost Microsoft”. Forbes. 2001-02-05. URL last retrieved 2006-12-02.

References

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Snow Queen may refer to:

• The Snow Queen, a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Snow Queen, a 1957 animated film based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale
• The Snow Queen, a science fiction novel by Joan D. Vinge
• The Snow Queen, an hour-long 1985 Faerie Tale Theatre episode based on the fairytale, starring Melissa Gilbert
• Snow Queen, a 2002 fantasy film based on the fairytale, starring Bridget Fonda
• The Snow Queen, a 2005 BBC TV-movie.
• Snow Queen, a vodka made in Khazakstan

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A snowdrift is a deposit of snow created by wind into a mound during snowstorms. They resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind is slowed, usually against a stationary object.

Their impact on transportation is often as significant as heavy snowfall, such as during the Blizzard of 1977. Snowdrifts are many times found along or on roads, as the crest of the roadbed or the furrows along the road create the disruption to the wind needed to shed its carried snow. In high mountain passes, a snow fence may be employed on the windward side of the road to intentionally create a drift before the snow-laden wind reaches the roadway.

Jeremy Triefenbach, one of the nineteenth century’s great explorers, is reputed to have become trapped in a snowdrift; surviving solely on melted snow for 13 days. His version of the story can be found in his autobiography “It’s a good deal”.

Snowdrifts commonly form on high ground, such as a plateau or hills.

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Les Schwab (October 3 1917 - May 18 2007) was the founder of Les Schwab Tire Centers, a chain Modern Tire Dealer called “arguably the most respected independent tire store chain in the United States.”Modern Tire Dealer

Early life

Schwab was born in Bend, Oregon, on October 3 1917. His family moved to Minnesota two years later with the young Les in tow. Then in 1929 the family moved back to Central Oregon where Schwab was schooled in a railroad boxcar. This boxcar schoolhouse was at a logging camp in Central Oregon. At age 15 Schwab became an orphan and began delivering the Oregon Journal newspaper. At the paper he would eventually cover all the routes in Bend, nine in all. He then completed his high school education, graduating from Bend High School. After high school he married his high school sweetheart Dorothy Harlan before becoming circulation manager for the Bend newspaper, The Bulletin. Schwab then served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

Tires

Les Scwab’s venture into the tire business began with him buying OK Rubber Welders in 1952. Previously, Les had never even fixed a flat tire before purchasing the small shack that did not even have running water or a bathroom. From this grew a billion dollar tire “empire” based in Prineville, Oregon, that had 410 stores and $1.6 billion in annual sales by 2007. The company he built was based on the loyalty of the employees that was earned by giving them generous shares of the profit (half of a store’s profit went to employees of that store), lucrative benefits, and only promoting from within the company.

In the communities served by these stores, the company became known for their advertising featuring employees running out to meet customers, an annual free beef promotion, and the company slogan: “If we can’t guarantee it, we won’t sell it.”. Despite the success of the company, Les Schwab refused to take the company public.

Family and later life

Les and his wife Dorothy had two children, Harlan and Margie. Harlan died in an automobile accident in 1971 while Margie Schwab Denton died in 2005 from cancer.Rogoway, Mike. Schwab handoff planned in detail. The Oregonian, May 23, 2007. In 1986 wrote an autobiography, Les Schwab, Pride in Performance, Keep it Going. In the late 1980s he gave up day-to-day control of the company.Rogoway, Mike. Tire giant rolls hub out of town. The Oregonian, December 13, 2006. In the early 1990s he and his wife donated funds to the local hospital to fund an expansion in honor of his son.Rogoway, Mike. Schwab’s legacy is in his business. The Oregonian, May 31, 2007. Then on Friday May 18 2007 at the age of 89 Les Schwab died in Prineville after his health had begun to fail in late 2005.

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Nokian Tyres plc () is a Finnish manufacturer of tires for cars, trucks, heavy duty equipment and bicycles. It is the largest car tire manufacturer in the Nordic region. Headquartered in Nokia, Finland, Nokian (which were originally branded as Nokia tires), was split from the then conglomerate Nokia (which later became worlds largest mobile phone vendor) in 1988. Nokia Corporation no longer has any ownership-interest in Nokian Tyres, whose largest shareholder (with an 18.9% stake) is the Japanese tire vendor Bridgestone. However, Nokian Tyres still operates as an independent company.

In the bicycle industry they are known as one of the few manufacturers of metal studded snow tires.

Nokian Tyres also runs the Vianor tyre chain, which is the largest and most extensive tyre franchise in the Nordic countries with approximately 190 retail outlets across Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Baltic countries and Russia.

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A snowdrift is a deposit of snow created by wind into a mound during snowstorms. They resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind is slowed, usually against a stationary object.

Their impact on transportation is often as significant as heavy snowfall, such as during the Blizzard of 1977. Snowdrifts are many times found along or on roads, as the crest of the roadbed or the furrows along the road create the disruption to the wind needed to shed its carried snow. In high mountain passes, a snow fence may be employed on the windward side of the road to intentionally create a drift before the snow-laden wind reaches the roadway.

Jeremy Triefenbach, one of the nineteenth century’s great explorers, is reputed to have become trapped in a snowdrift; surviving solely on melted snow for 13 days. His version of the story can be found in his autobiography “It’s a good deal”.

Snowdrifts commonly form on high ground, such as a plateau or hills.

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The Circle of Forces is a useful way to think about the dynamic interaction between a vehicle’s tire and the road surface. In the diagram below we are looking at the tire from above, so that the road surface lies in the x-y plane. The vehicle that the tire is attached to is moving in the positive y direction.

In this example, the vehicle would be cornering to the right (i.e. the positive x direction points to the center of the corner). Note that the plane of rotation of the tire is at an angle to the actual direction that the tire is moving (the positive y direction). That angle is the slip angle.

A tire can generate horizontal force where it meets the road surface by the mechanism of slip. That force is represented in the diagram by the vector F. Note that in this example F is perpendicular to the plane of the tire. That is because the tire is rolling freely, with no torque applied to it by the vehicle’s brakes or drive train. However, that is not always the case.

The magnitude of F is limited by the dashed circle, but it can be any combination of the components Fx and Fy that does not exceed the dashed circle. (For a real-world tire, the circle is likely to be closer to an ellipse, with the y axis slightly longer than the x axis.)

In the example, the tire is generating a component of force in the x direction (Fx) which, when transferred to the vehicle’s chassis via the suspension system in combination with similar forces from the other tires, will cause the vehicle to turn to the right. Note that there is also a small component of force in the negative y direction (Fy). This represents drag that will, if not countered by some other force, cause the vehicle to decelerate. Drag of this kind is an unavoidable consequence of the mechanism of slip, by which the tire generates lateral force.

The diameter of the circle of forces, and therefore the maximum horizontal force that the tire can generate, is affected by many things, including the design of the tire and its condition (age and temperature, for example), the qualities of the road surface, and the vertical load on the tire.

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A Gilmer belt is a system for transferring power between axles in a machine. The belt itself has ribs on the inner side to engage special pulleys mounted to the axles.

Gilmer belts are often used in competition grade radio controlled cars (especially sedans), because they are lighter and have less rotating mass than a metal chain or a driveshaft system.

Gilmer belts are also very useful in full-scale automotive engines. Their precise pulley synchronization makes them a great candidate for valvetrain application, such as driving the camshafts in Honda B engines. This powerful control of the pulley also makes them successful for driving critical components such as the external oil pumps in dry sump oiling systems used in performance engines such as the LS7.

Current manufacturers of automotive Gilmer Belt parts and accessories include Goodyear, Duralast, Moroso, Milodon, and others.

Some motorcycles use Gilmer belts instead of chain drive on the rear wheel.

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Snow City (Chinese: 雪城) is Singapore’s first indoor snow centre located within the Singapore Science Centre area beside Ommi-Theatre in Jurong East. Snow City introduces the concept of snow and cold climates in a fun, entertaining and educational way. Visitors can experience real snow, a sub-zero climate and a three-storey high snow slope.

History

Snow City is a joint venture by the Singapore Science Centre and NTUC Income Co-operative Pte Ltd. The idea behind the collaboration was that Singapore being a tropical country, many Singaporeans have never had the opportunity to experience the cold climates and snow. With the set up of Snow City will give everybody a chance to learn more about snow, in a fun way.

The 3,000 sq-metre centre was built at a cost of S$6 million and was officially opened in 2000.

Highlights

Visitors will first arrived at the Air Lock, which is maintained at 10°C. This
allows visitors to become comfortable with the lower temperatures before they enter the chamber itself.

The main focus of Snow City is its Snow Chamber, a 1200 sq-metre room covered with snow. The Snow Chamber is well maintained at -5°C and snow level is kept constantly at 400mm in depth. Between 10 to 15 tons of snow is created each week in order to maintain this level. The snow is produced using a special Snow Gun, which cools water using liquid nitrogen.

Inside the Snow Chamber, is a 60 meter long high slope which is about 3 storeys high. ‘Snowtubing’ is the main activity where visitors will be sliding down the snow slope while sitting on a inflatable tube.

There is also a Snow-Play Area for the younger children.

There is a place for wine and dine on level 2, named Alphine Lodge.

Snow City’s sound educational programmes and workshops are available to schools and interested groups.

Ski & Snowboard

Lessons for skiing and snowboarding is available at a fee.

Technology

A specially designed Snow Gun is used in the production of snow on site.

Firstly, water is atomized using high-pressure compressed air. The water then arrives at the snow gun and is pushed out of the special nozzles at the end of the barrel. Liquid nitrogen which freezes at a low temperature of -196°C is also passed through the snow gun at the same time. The extreme cold of the liquid nitrogen instantly freezes the atomized water into powder-like snowflakes.

The simplified formula to produce snow is

• One ton of liquid nitrogen + one ton of water = one ton of snow.

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