Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires which have been utilized during the past 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a far more comfortable ride compared to other types of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system depends entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motorized vehicles like trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles and airplanes all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following the creation or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the use of solid rubber in the construction of tires. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in the year 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the word "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced the very first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of tires for automobiles. The first company in the United States to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the US to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first half of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were made of toughened 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 which run across the body of the tire. They need no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.