Pneumatic Tire Definition
"Pneumatic" is a Greek term for "spirit". "Pneuma" means anything that is filled with air. The majority of tires you use or see these days are more than likely pneumatic tires. The truth is, most modern commercial transportation and private motor vehicles could not function without pneumatic tires.
Definition
Webster's on-line dictionary defines pneumatic tires as tires that are made from durable rubber and could hold compressed air. Any tire which requires air pressure to hold its form is considered to be a pneumatic tire.
History
John Boyd Dunlop, the Irish surgeon has been credited to inventing the pneumatic tire. He developed the first practical pneumatic bicycle tire during 1888. In 1895, the Michelin brothers Edouard and Andre, the Michelin brothers were the very first to utilize pneumatic tires on a car during a race.
Identification
Pneumatic tires are made from many bands of plys or corded fabric. Plys are often coated with rubber which enables them to hold air pressure. Bias ply tires have the plys overlaid at a certain angle to the other layers. Radial tires have all plys laid at 90 degrees to the tire body or casing.
Types
In tube tires, there are a type of rubber inner tube to be able to hold the air pressure. Bicycle tires, motorcycle tires on spoke rims and car tires and older bias ply truck utilize inner tubes. Tubeless tires have a stiff bead on the edges of the sidewall which creates an airtight seal with the wheel. This eliminates the need for an inner tube.
Exceptions
Pneumatic tires could be punctured and lose air pressure which makes them unsuitable for particular applications. Tires utilized on forklifts, tires used in construction, tires used by the military are usually filled with resilient foam or made with solid rubber.
|
|
