Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The utilization of rubber in tires enabled the creation of pneumatic tires which allowed for a much more comfortable ride. The contemporary transportation system of the world completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire made of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air. Motor vehicles including trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following the creation or iron bands used around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the use of solid rubber in the construction of tires. The very first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in the year 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
Seven years later, in the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a leading producer of tires for automobiles. The first U.S. company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the US to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires in the first half of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were made of toughened layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the tire's shape 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 body of the tire. Inner tube is not required since 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 provide better fuel economy.