Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires that have been used during the past 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a way more comfy ride compared to other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system relies entirely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire made of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for instance bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the construction of tires began in the middle part of the 19th century. The very 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 in the year 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of tires for automobiles. The very first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in 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 utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first half of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of plies or cord 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 which run across the tire body. They need no inner tube since the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in the year 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.