Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires enabled the invention of pneumatic tires that allowed for a much more comfortable ride. The contemporary transportation system of the world completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire constructed of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles such as trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for example bicycles, also use 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 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" started to describe tires.
Seven years later, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of automobile tires. The first company in the United States to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second U.S. company to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires during the first part of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are made with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. Inner tube is not necessary as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in the year 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.