No, cartilage is only contained up until the bronchi. The bronchioles and onward do not contain any cartilage rings, only smooth muscle.
rings of cartilage
Cartilage rings that are found in trachea
Very small bronchi are called as bronchioles. You have cartilage rings in case of the bronchi. Such rings are absent in case of the bronchiloles. You need such C shaped cartilage rings in case of bronchi, so that they should not get collapsed. The bronchioles are in periphery and they can not collapse because they are very small muscular tubes. C shaped cartilage saves lot of muscle mass of the bronchi to prevent them from collapsing.
Bronchioles don't have cartilage because they need to be able to constrict and dilate
No, bronchioles do not have cartilage support. They are small airways in the respiratory system that lack the cartilage rings present in larger airways such as bronchi. Instead, bronchioles are supported by smooth muscle.
The trachea, or windpipe, contains cartilage rings to maintain its structure, while the bronchi and bronchioles progressively decrease in cartilage as they branch into smaller airways. However, the alveoli, the tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs, have no cartilage rings at all. Instead, they are composed of thin elastic tissue that allows for expansion and contraction during breathing.
cartilage rings give support to trachea to open all the time
Think about this one for a minute. Would it be a good idea for the windpipe to fold up like a garden hose every time you bend your head? What would happen if your air supply was cut off every few seconds? The cartilage keeps the trachea and bronchi open at all times.
THE BRONCHIOLES
the bronchioles
primary
Support structures change: irregular plates of cartilage replace the cartilage rings, and by the time the bronchioles are reached, the tube walls no longer contain supportive cartilage. Epithelium type changes: the mucosal epithelium things as it changes from pseudostratified columnar to columnar and then to cuboidal in the terminal bronchioles. Mucus-producing cells and cilia are sparse in the bronchioles. For this reason, most airborn debris found at or below the level of the bronchioles must be removed by macrophages in the alveoli. Amount of smooth muscle increases: the relative amount of smooth muscle in the tube walls increases as the passageways become smaller. A complete layer of circular smooth muscle in the bronchioles and the lack of supporting cartilage (which would hinder construction) allows the bronchioles to provide substantial resistance to air passage.