Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires that have been utilized over the past 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a way more comfy ride compared to other types of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles including motorcycles, airplanes, trucks, buses and cars all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the creation of tires started 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" began to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The first U.S. company to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the US to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first part of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to strengthen it and to define the tire's shape. 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 the Michelin's brother's creation 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.