The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire consists of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Normally, 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 air pressure within the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure within the tire provides resistance against forces which try to deform the tire. This gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect as the tire hits bumps in the road. If you have experienced taking a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you know how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires could make.
Pneumatic tires also come with drawbacks. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for instance, these tires could suffer a puncture and this will lead to a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds could result in a dangerous car accident. Military planners must take into consideration tires getting blown out by gunfire or explosion shrapnel. The worst nightmare of a vehicle crew is becoming trapped in a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these type of issues and therefore, may be more suitable in certain applications.
The pneumatic tire may have issues as well with the variation in air pressure and tire performance. The lower pressure inside a tire can increase the traction and the comfort level. This is due to the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is touching the road. The air pressure inside of the tire works to maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire as well as maintain the "up and down" stiffness. Therefore, reduced air pressure allows the sidewalls of the tires 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 lead to unsafe situations. It is vital to note that pneumatic tires are also susceptible to temperature changes, that can be responsible for changing the internal pressure of the tire. It is really vital to consider the type of environments you will be requiring your equipment to operate in so that you could inspect the tires on a regular basis and keep the machinery as safe as possible.