Pneumatic Tires
Most tires used in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires enabled the invention of pneumatic tires which allowed for a much more comfy ride. The contemporary transportation system of the world completely depends on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and airplanes all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which are not motorized, like for example bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the construction of tires began in the middle part of the 19th century. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 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.
In 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced the first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of tires for cars. The very first U.S. company 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 utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first part of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were made of toughened layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the tire's shape and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are made with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. They need no inner tube because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's creation in the year 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.