Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires which have been utilized during the past 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 toughened rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like for example airplanes, motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started after the invention or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 19th century that the utilization of solid rubber in the creation 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" appeared to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading producer of automobile tires. The 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 United States to make tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of cord or plies 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.
The modern radial tire has been made with plies that run across the body of the tire. They need no inner tube 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 widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.