Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires which have been used during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a way more comfy ride than other materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire made of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles including cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started after the invention 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 construction of tires. The very first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire. 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 automobiles in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of car tires. 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 United States to produce tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were made of reinforced layers of cord or plies 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. Inner tube is not necessary as 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 widely utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.