Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires utilized in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The utilization of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a more comfy ride. The contemporary transportation system of the world relies completely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a kind of tire constructed of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like buses, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the construction of tires began in the mid-19th century. The very first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created 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 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top manufacturer of tires for automobiles. The first company in the United States 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 US to make tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were made 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 constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. They require no inner tube 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 utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.