Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a more comfortable ride. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles such as motorcycles, airplanes, trucks, buses and cars all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following the invention or iron bands used around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the use of solid rubber in the creation of tires. The very first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The very first United States company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the United States to produce tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were made of reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias to strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. 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 necessary since 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 commonly utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.