Pneumatic Tires
Most tires utilized in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The utilization of rubber in tires enabled the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a more comfortable ride. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire constructed of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motor vehicles including motorcycles, airplanes, trucks, buses and cars all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the construction of tires began during the middle part of the 19th century. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in the year 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years later, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of tires for automobiles. The first company in the United States to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the United States to produce 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 made of reinforced 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 tire body. They need no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's invention in the year 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.