Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires that have been utilized during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a far more comfortable ride compared to other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system depends entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like motorcycles, airplanes, buses, cars and trucks all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the construction of tires started in the middle part of the 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. This was when the word "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
Seven years after, in the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a leading manufacturer of tires for cars. The very first United States company to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second United States company to produce tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required 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 strengthen it and to define the tire's shape. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are made with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. They need no inner tube because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's invention in 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.