Pneumatic Tire Definition
"Pneumatic" is a Greek word for "spirit". "Pneuma" translates to anything which is filled with air. Most tires you use or see these days are more than likely pneumatic tires. In fact, the majority of modern commercial transportation and private motor vehicles could not work without utilizing pneumatic tires.
Definition
Webster's on line dictionary defines pneumatic tires as tires which are manufactured from reinforced rubber and can hold compressed air. Any kind of tire which needs air pressure to hold its form is considered to be a pneumatic tire.
History
The invention of the pneumatic tire has been credited to John Boyd Dunlop, an Irish surgeon, who in 1888 developed the very first practical pneumatic bicycle tire. In 1895, the Michelin brothers Edouard and Andre, the Michelin brothers were the very first to use pneumatic tires on a car during a race.
Identification
Pneumatic tires are made from numerous bands of plys or corded fabric. Plys are usually coated with rubber that enables them to hold air pressure. Bias ply tires have the plys overlaid at a particular angle to the other layers. Radial tires have all plys laid at 90 degrees to the casing or tire body.
Types
Tube tires are a kind of tire that needs a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Motorcycle tires on spoke rims, bicycle tires and older bias ply truck and car tires use inner tubes. Tubeless tires have a stiff bead on the edges of the sidewall that creates an airtight seal with the wheel. This kind of tire does not require an inner tube.
Exceptions
Pneumatic tires could be punctured and lose air pressure which makes them unsuitable for specific applications. Tires tires used by the military, used on forklifts, tires utilized in construction are usually filled with resilient foam or made with solid rubber.
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