Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires which 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 compared to other materials. The world's contemporary transportation system completely relies on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire made of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motor vehicles like for example cars, trucks, buses, airplanes and motorcycles all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, like bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires begins with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires started in the middle part of the 19th century. 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 the year 1888. This was when the word "pneumatic" appeared to describe tires.
Seven years after, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made pneumatic tires for a car in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top producer of tires for automobiles. The first company in the US to produce 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
A rubber inner tube was used in all pneumatic tires in the first part of the 20th century to be able help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed 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 constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the tire body. They require no inner tube as the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's creation in the year 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and offer better fuel economy.