Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires which have been utilized during the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are made from rubber and allow for a far more comfortable ride than other types of materials. The contemporary transportation system of the world relies completely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a type of tire constructed of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles including cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and airplanes all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like bicycles, also use pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started following the invention or iron bands used around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the middle part of the 19th century that the utilization of solid rubber in the construction 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. This was when the term "pneumatic" started to describe tires.
Seven years after, in the year 1895, Edouard and Andre Michelin made pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a leading producer of automobile tires. The first company in the US to make tires was Goodyear Tire company established in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second U.S. company to make tires.
Function
A rubber inner tube was utilized in all pneumatic tires during the first part of the 20th century to help hold the air pressure. Tires were constructed of toughened layers of plies or cord 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 body of the tire. They need no inner tube as 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 utilized until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.