Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires which have been utilized over the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a far more comfortable ride than other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely depends on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles including trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for example bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started after the invention 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 very 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. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The very first U.S. company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 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 constructed of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias to strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. Inner tube is not necessary because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in the year 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.