Pneumatic Tires
Nearly all of the tires which have been used during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a far more comfy ride than other types 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. Motorized vehicles like for instance motorcycles, airplanes, buses, cars and trucks all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles that are not motorized, like for instance bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The history of tires starts with the creation of iron bands around wooden wheels. The use of solid rubber in the creation of tires began during the mid-19th century. The very 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" started to describe tires.
In 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin made the very first pneumatic tires for automobiles in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of tires for cars. The first U.S. company to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in the year 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in the year 1900, the second United States company to produce tires.
Function
For the first part of the 20th century, pneumatic tires required a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of reinforced layers of cord or plies covered with rubber. The plies were laid on a bias or angle to define the tire's shape and strengthen it. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are constructed with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. Inner tube is not required as 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 commonly used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires provide better fuel economy and last longer.