Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires that have been used during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a far more comfortable ride compared to other kinds of materials. The contemporary transportation system of the world completely depends on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire constructed of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like trucks, buses, cars, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for instance bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started after the invention or iron bands used around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 19th century that the utilization of solid rubber in the construction of tires. The 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 word "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The very first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second U.S. company to make 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 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.
Modern radial tires are constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. They need no inner tube since 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 widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.