Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires utilized in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a much more comfortable ride. The world's contemporary transportation system completely depends on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire made of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following the creation or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the use of solid rubber in the construction of tires. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years after, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading producer of automobile tires. The first U.S. company to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second U.S. company to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires during the first half of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were made of toughened layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been made with plies which run across the body of the tire. They need no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's creation in 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.