Pneumatic Tire Definition
The term "pneumatic" comes from the Greek word for "spirit" that is "pneuma" and means anything which is filled with air. The majority of tires you use or see today are more than likely pneumatic tires. The fact is, nearly all modern commercial transportation and private vehicles could not function without pneumatic tires.
Definition
Webster's on line dictionary defines pneumatic tires as tires which are manufactured from durable rubber and could hold compressed air. Any tire that requires air pressure to hold its shape is considered to be a pneumatic tire.
History
John Boyd Dunlop, the Irish surgeon has been credited to inventing the pneumatic tire. He developed the very first practical pneumatic bicycle tire during 1888. In 1895, the Michelin brothers Edouard and Andre, the Michelin brothers were the first to use pneumatic tires on a car during a race.
Identification
Pneumatic tires are made from many bands of plys or corded fabric. Plys are normally coated with rubber which enables them to hold air pressure. Bias ply tires have the plys overlaid at a specific angle to the other layers. Radial tires have all plys laid at 90 degrees to the casing or tire body.
KInds
Tube tires are a type of tire that requires a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Bicycle tires, motorcycle tires on spoke rims and car tires and older bias ply truck use inner tubes. Tubeless tires have a stiff bead on the sidewall edges that creates an airtight seal with the wheel. This eliminates the need for an inner tube.
Exceptions
The fact that pneumatic tires can lose air pressure and be punctured makes them unsuitable for specific applications. Tires tires utilized by the military, used on forklifts, tires used in construction are often made with solid rubber or filled with resilient foam.
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