Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires that have been utilized over the past 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 world's contemporary transportation system relies completely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a kind of tire constructed of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles such as airplanes, motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like 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 during the mid-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. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of tires for automobiles. The first United States company to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the United States to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires during the first half of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of cord or plies 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 tire body. They require no inner tube since 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 used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.