Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires which allowed for a more comfy ride. The world's contemporary transportation system relies entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles including airplanes, motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which are not motorized, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires started during the mid-19th century. 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 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced the first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the US to make tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias 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 since the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become widely utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.