Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires which have been used over the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a way more comfortable ride than other kinds of materials. The contemporary transportation system of the world relies entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motorized vehicles such as buses, cars, trucks, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for example bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began after the invention or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the use of solid rubber in the construction of tires. 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 word "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made pneumatic tires for a car in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top manufacturer of automobile tires. The very first company in the US to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the United States to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires during the first half of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were made of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on an angle or bias to define the shape of the tire and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been constructed with plies that run across the body of the tire. They require 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 widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.