Pneumatic Tires
Most tires used in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a more comfy ride. The world's contemporary transportation system depends completely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like buses, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which are not motorized, like for instance bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following the invention 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 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading manufacturer of automobile tires. 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 company in the United States to make tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened 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.
Modern radial tires are constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. Inner tube is not necessary because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.