Pneumatic Tires
Most tires utilized in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the creation of pneumatic tires that allowed for a much more comfortable ride. The world's contemporary transportation system completely depends on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire constructed of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles such as airplanes, motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started following the creation or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 19th century that the utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in the year 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years later, in the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a leading manufacturer of tires for automobiles. The first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the United States to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires during the first part of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias to define the tire's shape and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been made with plies that run across the tire body. They require no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in the year 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.