Pneumatic Tires
Most tires used in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The utilization of rubber in tires enabled the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a much more comfortable ride. The contemporary transportation system of the world completely depends on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a toughened rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like for instance airplanes, motorcycles, trucks, buses and cars all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started following the invention or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-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 invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years later, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made pneumatic tires for a car in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top manufacturer of automobile tires. The very first company in the United States to make 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 US to produce 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 made 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 tire's shape. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been constructed with plies that run across the body of the tire. They require no inner tube because 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 widely utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.