Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in contemporary 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 world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire constructed of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motor vehicles like airplanes, motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started after the creation or iron bands used 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 the year 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the word "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced the very first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a leading producer of tires for automobiles. The first company in the United States to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second U.S. company to produce tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were made of toughened layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the tire's shape and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been made with plies which run across the body of the tire. Inner tube is not required as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's invention in the year 1948. The tires did not become widely utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.