Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires which have been used over the past 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a way more comfortable ride compared to other kinds of materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely depends on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a toughened rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like for example motorcycles, airplanes, cars, trucks and buses all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, 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 utilization of solid rubber in the creation 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. This was when the term "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
In the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced the first pneumatic tires for cars in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a leading manufacturer of tires for cars. The first company in the United States to make tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second company in the United States to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires in the first part of the 20th century to be able help 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 tire's shape. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are made with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. Inner tube is not necessary because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was a creation of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.