Pneumatic Tires
Most of the tires which have been used over the last 100 years have been pneumatic tires. They are constructed of rubber and allow for a way more comfy ride compared to other materials. The world's contemporary transportation system depends completely on pneumatic tires.
The pneumatic tire is a durable rubber tire and is then compressed with air. Motor vehicles like trucks, buses, cars, airplanes and motorcycles all utilize pneumatic tires. Wheeled vehicles which are not motorized, like for instance bicycles, also utilize pneumatic tires.
History
The tire started following the invention or iron bands used around wooden wheels. It wasn't until the mid-19th century that the use of solid rubber in the creation of tires. 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 made pneumatic tires for a car in France. The company of the Michelin brothers was destined to become a leading manufacturer of automobile tires. The very first company in the United States to produce tires was Goodyear Tire company founded in 1898, followed by the Firestone Tire & Rubber company in 1900, the second company in the US to produce tires.
Function
For the first part 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. Inner tube is not required because 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 used until the late 1970s. Radial tires last longer and provide better fuel economy.