Pneumatic Tire Definition
"Pneumatic" is a Greek word for "spirit". "Pneuma" means something which is filled with air. The majority of tires you see or use these days are more than likely pneumatic tires. The fact is, nearly all modern commercial transportation and private vehicles can not function without using pneumatic tires.
Definition
Webster's on line dictionary defines pneumatic tires as tires that are manufactured from durable rubber and can hold compressed air. Any type of tire that requires air pressure to hold its form 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 in the year 1888. During 1895, the Michelin brothers Edouard and Andre, the Michelin brothers were the first ones to use pneumatic tires on a car during a race.
Identification
Pneumatic tires are made from many bands of corded or plys fabric. Plys are usually coated with rubber that allows them to hold air pressure. Bias ply tires have the plys overlaid at a certain angle to the other layers. Radial tires have all plys laid at 90 degrees to the tire body or casing.
Types
Tube tires are a kind of tire which needs a rubber inner tube in order to hold the air pressure. Bicycle tires, motorcycle tires on spoke rims and older bias ply truck and car tires use inner tubes. Tubeless tires have a stiff bead on the sidewall edges that forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This eliminates the need for an inner tube.
Exceptions
The fact that pneumatic tires can be punctured and lose air pressure 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 constructed with solid rubber.
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