The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Usually, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other type of materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact part with the road.
The tire will remain inflated with all the weight of the vehicle resting on it, because the pressure of the air inside the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure within the tire provides resistance against forces which try to deform the tire. When the tire hits bumps in the road, this gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect. If you have experienced taking a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you understand precisely how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires can make.
Of course, there are some drawbacks to pneumatic tires. For example in high-performance situations or highly dangerous applications, these tires can suffer a puncture and this will lead to a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a serious car crash. Military planners have to consider tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or firing of guns. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped in a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires obviously don't suffer from these problems and therefore, might be more suitable in some applications.
Pneumatic tires have another issue involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure can create increased comfort and improved traction. This is due to the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is placed in contact with the road. The pressure of the air inside of the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Therefore, less air pressure enables the tires' sidewalls to flex. Unfortunately, this results in poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other issues with air pressure. Customers are notoriously unreliable when it comes to maintaining correct air pressure. Tires that have improper air pressure can result in dangerous situations. It is really essential to bear in mind that pneumatic tires are also susceptible to temperature changes, that can be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very essential to take into consideration the kind of environments you would be requiring your equipment to operate in so that you could regularly check the tires and keep the machinery as safe as possible.