Pneumatic Tires
The majority of tires used in contemporary times are considered to be pneumatic tires. The use of rubber in tires allowed the creation of pneumatic tires that allowed for a much more comfy ride. The world's contemporary transportation system depends entirely on pneumatic tires.
A pneumatic tire is a tire constructed of durable rubber and filled with compressed air. Motorized vehicles like trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Non-motorized wheeled vehicles, like for instance bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started after 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 creation of tires. 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. This was when the term "pneumatic" began to describe tires.
Seven years after, in the year 1895, Andre and Edouard Michelin produced pneumatic tires for a car in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading manufacturer of tires for automobiles. The very 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 1900, the second U.S. company to produce 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 define the shape of the tire 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 tire body. They require no inner tube since the tire forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This was the Michelin's brother's invention in 1948. The tires did not become commonly used until the late 1970s. Radial tires offer better fuel economy and last longer.