Pneumatic Tires
Most tires used in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires enabled the creation of pneumatic tires which allowed for a much more comfortable ride. The world's contemporary transportation system completely depends on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles including buses, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, like bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires started during the middle part of the 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 word "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The very first company in the United States 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 US to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first part of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed 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 constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. They require no inner tube 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 commonly used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.