Pneumatic Tires
Most tires utilized in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The utilization of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires which allowed for a much more comfy ride. The world's contemporary transportation system depends entirely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire made of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization 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 created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years later, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of car tires. The very first company in the US 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 US to produce 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 reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias 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 body of the tire. They need no inner tube because 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 late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.