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, provides the contact area with the road and seals this inner core.
The tire would remain inflated with all the vehicle's weight resting on it, since the air pressure in the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure within the tire gives resistance against forces which attempt 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 ever taken a ride in an old-fashioned carriage that had wooden wheels, you understand precisely how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Surely, there are some drawbacks to pneumatic tires. Like for example in highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations, these tires can suffer a puncture and this would result in a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a serious car accident. Military planners should consider tires getting blown out by firing of guns or explosion shrapnel. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped within a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these issues and therefore, in certain applications, may be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have one more issue involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure can create increased comfort and improved traction. This is because of the fact that tires flatten slightly 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. Thus, less air pressure enables the tires' sidewalls to flex. Unfortunately, this leads to poor handling. Within an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other issues also. When it comes to maintaining correct air pressure, customers are notoriously unreliable. Incorrect air pressure inside tires could result in really dangerous situations. It is really vital to note that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes too, that can be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very important to take into account the kind of settings you would be requiring your equipment to operate in so that you could inspect the tires on a regular basis and keep the machine as safe as possible.