Pneumatic Tires
Most tires utilized in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the creation of pneumatic tires which allowed for a more comfy ride. 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 such as trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, like bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began after the creation or iron bands used around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 19th century that the use of solid rubber in the creation of tires. 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. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced the first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of tires for cars. The first United States company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second U.S. company to produce tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias to define the tire's shape and strengthen it. 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 need no inner tube 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 commonly used until the late 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.