Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires which have been utilized during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a way more comfortable ride compared to other kinds of materials. The contemporary transportation system of the world relies completely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a toughened rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles including trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the construction of tires started 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. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top manufacturer of tires for cars. The very first U.S. company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded 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 half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube 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 strengthen it and to define the tire's shape. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been made with plies that run 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 creation in 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.