Posted by Roger on September 13, 1999 at 15:04:50:
In Reply to: steel belt posted by Jon on September 13, 1999 at 10:52:21:
The simple answer is that the steel used in a tire belt is really more like a cable made up of many very small wires. Obviously they do have a finite life but the bending isn't that great in normal usage and the alloy we (tire industry) specify is designed with high fatigue values.
Re your paperclip analogy. I have never seen a paperclip fail in "normal service"