Pneumatic Tires
Most tires used in modern times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The utilization 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.
A pneumatic tire is a kind of tire constructed of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles such as buses, cars, trucks, motorcycles and airplanes all use pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, like bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire began following the creation or iron bands utilized around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 19th century that the utilization of solid rubber in the creation of tires. The first patent for a successful pneumatic tire was issued in 1888 to Irishman John Dunlop who invented an inner-tube for a bicycle tire in the year 1888. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years later, in the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a top manufacturer of car tires. The very first company in the US to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second United States company to make tires.
Function
For the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic tires needed a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of plies or cord covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to strengthen it and to define the shape of the tire. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
The modern radial tire has been constructed with plies which run across the body of the tire. They need no inner tube since 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 provide better fuel economy.