Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires enabled the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a much more comfy ride. The world's contemporary transportation system depends entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like for example motorcycles, airplanes, buses, cars and trucks all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for instance bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the invention 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 first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the word "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
Seven years after, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of car tires. The first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established 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 needed a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were made of toughened layers of plies or cord 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. Inner tube is not necessary because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.