Pneumatic Tires
Most tires used in contemporary 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 comfortable ride. The world's contemporary transportation system relies entirely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like motorcycles, airplanes, buses, cars and trucks all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for example 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 started in the mid-19th century. The 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" appeared to describe tires.
Seven years later, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for an automobile in France. The Michelin brothers' company was destined to become a top producer of automobile tires. 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 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 shape of the tire. These "bias ply" tires had a tread pattern for traction.
Modern radial tires are made with the plies running at 90 degrees across the body of the tire. They require no inner tube because the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was an invention of the Michelin company in 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the latter parts of the 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.