Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires utilized in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires enabled the creation of pneumatic tires which allowed for a much more comfortable 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 such as buses, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which are not motorized, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started following the invention or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 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, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading producer of tires for cars. The very first company in the US to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second U.S. company to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first part of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the shape of the tire and strengthen it. 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. 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 widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.