Tire

A tire (U.S. spelling) or tyre (UK spelling) is a roughly toroidal piece of material placed on the circumference of a wheel, either for the purpose of cushioning or to protect the wheel from wear and tear.

History

For most of history wheels had very little in the way of shock absorption and journeys were very bumpy and uncomfortable.

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The modern tire came about in stages in the 19th century.

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In 1844, Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber, the material that would later be used to produce tires.

Related Topics:
1844 - Charles Goodyear - Vulcanized rubber

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John Boyd Dunlop, a veterinary surgeon living in Belfast Ireland, is widely recognized as the father of the modern tire, although he was not the first to come up with the idea. In 1845 the first pneumatic (inflatable) tire was patented by Scottish engineer Robert William Thomson as the Aerial Wheel. This invention consisted of a canvas inner tube surrounded by a leather outer tire. The tire gave a good ride, but there were so many manufacturing and fitting problems that the idea had to be abandoned. John Dunlop re-invented the tire for his ten year old son's tricycle in 1887 and was awarded a patent for his tire in 1888 (rescinded 1890). Dunlop's tire had a modified leather hosepipe as an inner tube and rubber treads. It wasn't long before rubber inner tubes were invented.

Related Topics:
John Boyd Dunlop - Belfast - Ireland - 1845 - Scottish - Robert William Thomson - Canvas - Leather - Tricycle - 1887 - 1888 - 1890

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Carbon black was added to tires to improve durability and provide damage resistance, particularly from ultraviolet light from the sun. In recent years less of it is being used in order to improve gas mileage, and the resulting reduction in electrical conductivity makes static electricity more likely to build up and arc between a person and the metal part of the door when getting out of a car.

Related Topics:
Carbon black - Gas mileage - Electrical conductivity - Static electricity

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Because neither bicycles nor automobiles had been invented when Thomson produced his tire, that tire was only applied to horse drawn carriages. By Dunlop's time, the bicycle had been fully developed (see Rover) and it proved a far more suitable application for pneumatic tires.

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Dunlop partnered with William Harvey du Cros to form a company which later became the Dunlop Rubber Company to produce his invention. The invention quickly caught on for bicycles and was later adapted for use on cars. Dunlop's company has since merged with the Goodyear company.

Related Topics:
William Harvey du Cros - Dunlop Rubber Company - Bicycles - Car - Goodyear

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The radial tire was invented by Michelin, a French company, in 1946, but did not see wide use in the United States, the largest market at that time, until the 1970s. This type of tire uses parallel carcass belts for the sidewalls and crossed belts for the crown of the tire. All modern car tires are now radial. In 2005, Michelin was reported to be attempting to develop a tire and wheel combination, the Tweel, which does not use air.

Related Topics:
Radial tire - Michelin - 1946 - Tweel

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External link: Robert William Thomson

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Etymology

The word is a corruption of attire.

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