Pneumatic Tire Definition
"Pneumatic" is a Greek word for "spirit". "Pneuma" means anything which is filled with air. The majority of tires you utilize or see these days are more than likely pneumatic tires. Actually, most modern commercial transportation and private motor vehicles can not work without using 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 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 first practical pneumatic bicycle tire during 1888. During 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 corded or plys fabric. Plys are normally coated with rubber which 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.
KInds
Inside tube tires, there are a type of rubber inner tube to hold the air pressure. Motorcycle tires on spoke rims, bicycle tires and car tires and older bias ply truck use inner tubes. Tubeless tires have a stiff bead on the edges of the sidewall which creates 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 particular applications. Tires used on forklifts, tires utilized in construction, tires used by the military are often constructed with solid rubber or filled with resilient foam.
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