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 world's contemporary transportation system depends completely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a toughened rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motorized vehicles including motorcycles, airplanes, cars, trucks and buses all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following 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 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 in the year 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading manufacturer of tires for cars. The very first United States company to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the United States to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires in the first half of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the shape of the tire and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. Inner tube is not required because 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 utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.