Pneumatic Tires
Most tires utilized in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the invention of pneumatic tires which allowed for a much more comfy ride. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a reinforced rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motorized vehicles such as airplanes, motorcycles, buses, cars and trucks all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the invention of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the construction of tires began in the middle part of the 19th century. 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" began to describe tires.
Seven years later, in 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. The very 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 U.S. company to produce tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires in the first half of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were made of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle 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 that run across the body of the tire. They require no inner tube since the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in the year 1948. The tires did not become widely used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.