The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Normally, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other type of materials, provides the contact part with the road and seals this inner core.
Since the pressure of the air inside the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure, the tire remains inflated even with a vehicles' weight resting on it. The air pressure within the tire gives resistance against forces that 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 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 makes.
Pneumatic tires also come with drawbacks. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for instance, these tires can suffer a puncture and this would lead to a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a dangerous car accident. Military planners should consider tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or shooting of guns. 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 therefore, in some applications, can be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have one more issue involving variations in air pressure and tire performance. Lower tire pressure could create increased comfort and improved traction. This is because of the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is touching 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. Hence, reduced air pressure enables the tires' sidewalls to flex. Unfortunately, this leads to poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other issues with air pressure. Customers are notoriously undependable when it comes to maintaining correct air pressure. Tires which have incorrect air pressure can lead to unsafe situations. It is really vital to bear in mind that pneumatic tires are susceptible to temperature changes also, that can be responsible for changing the internal pressure of the tire. It is important to take into consideration the type of settings you would be needing your equipment to operate in so that you can inspect the tires on a regular basis and keep the machine as safe as possible.