Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires that have been utilized over the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a way more comfy ride compared to other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system relies completely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles including motorcycles, airplanes, trucks, buses and cars all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for instance bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires began during the mid-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. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made pneumatic tires for a car in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of tires for automobiles. The first U.S. company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the US to make tires.
Function
For the first half 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 plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the shape of the tire 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. They require no inner tube since the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's invention in 1948. The tires did not become widely utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.