The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire consists of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Normally, a reinforced steel belted tread or other materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact part with the road.
The tire would remain inflated with all the vehicle's weight resting on it, as the air pressure inside the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure in the tire provides resistance against forces that try to deform the tire. This gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect when the tire hits bumps in the road. If you have ever taken 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 disadvantages. High-performance situations or highly dangerous applications for instance, these tires can suffer a puncture and this would lead to a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds could lead to a dangerous car crash. Military planners have to consider 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 problems and hence, in some applications, could be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have another issue involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure can create improved traction and increased comfort. This is because of the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is touching the road. The pressure of the air in the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Therefore, reduced air pressure allows the sidewalls of the tires to flex. Unfortunately, this leads to poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other problems with air pressure. Consumers are notoriously unreliable when it comes to maintaining correct air pressure. Tires that have wrong air pressure could result in dangerous situations. It is vital to note that pneumatic tires are also prone to temperature changes, that can be responsible for changing the internal pressure of the tire. It is vital to take into consideration the kind of environments you will be requiring your equipment to operate in so that you could regularly check the tires and keep the equipment as safe as possible.