Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires which have been utilized during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a way more comfortable ride compared to other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system relies completely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire made of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like for example trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which are not motorized, like bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began after 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 creation 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 1888. This was when the word "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years later, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading producer of tires for automobiles. The very first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the US to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires during the first half of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of plies or cord 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 constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. Inner tube is not necessary since the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's creation in the year 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.