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 way more comfortable ride compared to other types of materials. The contemporary transportation system of the world relies completely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire constructed of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like buses, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires began in the middle part of the 19th century. 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 produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading producer of tires for cars. The first company in the US to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second United States company to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires during the first half of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed 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 tire's shape. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. They require no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.