Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires that have been used over the past 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a far more comfy ride than other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system depends entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles such as motorcycles, airplanes, cars, trucks and buses all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, like for instance bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires began in the middle part of the 19th century. 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 term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years after, in 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top manufacturer of tires for cars. The first U.S. company 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 United States to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires in the first half of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced 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 made with plies which run across the tire body. Inner tube is not necessary as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.