Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires that have been used during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a way more comfy ride than other types of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely depends on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire made of toughened rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles including cars, trucks, buses, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began after the invention 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 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who created an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced the very first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top manufacturer of automobile tires. The first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the US to make tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube to 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 strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. 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. Inner tube is not necessary as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become commonly utilized until the late 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.