Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires that have been utilized over the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a far more comfy ride than other types of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire constructed of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like for example buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began after the creation or iron bands used 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 invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard 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 car tires. The first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second U.S. company to make tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been made with plies which run across the tire body. Inner tube is not necessary as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.