Pneumatic Tires
Most tires utilized in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the creation of pneumatic tires which allowed for a more comfortable ride. The contemporary transportation system of the world completely relies on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like for instance trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for example bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started following the invention or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 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 created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
In 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced the very first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of tires for automobiles. The first United States company to produce 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 make tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the tire's shape and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been constructed with plies that run across the tire body. They need no inner tube 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 used until the late 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.