Pneumatic Tire Definition
The term "pneumatic" comes from the Greek word for "spirit" which is "pneuma" and means something which is filled with air. Most tires you see or use these days are more than likely pneumatic tires. The truth is, the majority of modern commercial transportation and private vehicles could not function without pneumatic tires.
Definition
Webster's on line dictionary defines pneumatic tires as tires that are manufactured from reinforced rubber and could hold compressed air. Any kind of tire which 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 in 1888. In the year 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 numerous bands of plys or corded fabric. Plys are normally coated with rubber that enables 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.
KInds
Tube tires are a type of tire that needs a rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Bicycle tires, motorcycle tires on spoke rims and car tires and older bias ply truck utilize inner tubes. Tubeless tires have a stiff bead on the edges of the sidewall which forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This eliminates the need for an inner tube.
Exceptions
Pneumatic tires can lose air pressure when punctured which makes them unsuitable for certain applications. Tires tires utilized in construction, tires used by the military, used on forklifts are often filled with resilient foam or made with solid rubber.
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