Who discovered rubber, and the ways it could be used?
Rubber is a natural substance that had been used or centuries before being rediscovered by Columbus, and introduce to Western culture. Caoutchouc or natural rubber came from the Indian word ‘cahuchu’ which meant ‘weeping wood’. Natural rubber was harvested from the sap that oozed from the bark of the rubber tree. The name ‘rubber’ comes from the use of the natural substance as a pencil eraser that could ‘rub out’ pencil marks.
In 1837, Charles Goodyear received his fires patent for a process that made rubber an easier product to work with. However, this was not the patent Goodyear is best known for. In 1843, Goodyear discovered that if you removed the sulphur from rubber then heated it; it would retain its elasticity. This process called vulcanization made rubber waterproof and winter proof and opened the door for an enormous market for rubber goods. On June 24, 1844, Goodyear was granted patent for vulcanised rubber.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Who discovered rubber, and the ways it could be used?
Who invented the tyre?
Who invented the tyre?
Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in 1844 that was later used for tyres. In 1888, John Dunlop invented the air filled or pneumatic tyres, for bicycles. In 1895, Andre Michelin was the fires person to use pneumatic tyres on an automobile, however not successfully. In 1911, Philip Strauss invented the first successful tyre, which was a combination of tyre and air filled inner tube.
In 1903, P.W Litchfield of the Goodyear Tire Company patented the first tubeless tyre. In 1908, Frank Seiberling invented grooved tyres with improved road traction. In 1910 B. F Goodrich Company invented longer life tyres by adding carbon to the rubber. Radial tyres are now used extensively because of their excellent road grip, though they are more costly than ordinary tyres.
Pneumatic Tyre:
John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) was a Scottish veterinarian, and the recognized inventor of the first practical pneumatic or inflatable tyre. His patent was for a bicycle tyre, granted in 1888. However, Robert William Thomson (1822-1873) invented the first vulcanised rubber pneumatic tyre. Thomson patented his pneumatic tyre in 1845. His invention worked well, but was too costly to succeed. Dunlop’s tyre patented in 1888 did, and so he received the most recognition.