Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires that 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 types of materials. The contemporary transportation system of the world depends completely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire made of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motor vehicles including trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which 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 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 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of automobile tires. 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 U.S. company to make tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were made of reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias to define the shape of the tire and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been constructed with plies which run across the tire body. They need no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's invention in the year 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.