Pneumatic Tire Definition
"Pneumatic" is a Greek word for "spirit". "Pneuma" means something that is filled with air. Most tires you utilize or see these days are more than likely pneumatic tires. In fact, most modern commercial transportation and private motor vehicles could not function without using pneumatic tires.
Definition
Webster's online dictionary defines pneumatic tires as tires that are made from durable rubber and could hold compressed air. Any tire that needs air pressure to hold its shape 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 during 1888 developed the very first practical pneumatic bicycle tire. In the year 1895, the Michelin brothers Edouard and Andre, the Michelin brothers were the very first ones to utilize 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.
Types
Inside tube tires, there are a kind of rubber inner tube to be able 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 edges of the sidewall that forms an airtight seal with the wheel. This eliminates the need for an inner tube.
Exceptions
Pneumatic tires could lose air pressure when punctured that makes them unsuitable for certain applications. Tires tires used by the military, used on forklifts, tires used in construction are normally filled with resilient foam or constructed with solid rubber.
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