The air-filled or pneumatic tire consists of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Usually, a reinforced steel belted tread or other type of materials, provides the contact part with the road and seals this inner core.
The tire will remain inflated with all the weight of the vehicle resting on it, as the pressure of the air inside the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air inside the tire gives resistance against forces which attempt 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 that had wooden wheels, you know exactly how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires can make.
Of course, 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 will lead to a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a serious car crash. Military planners must consider tires getting blown out by shooting of guns or explosion shrapnel. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped in a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these kind of issues and thus, in some applications, might be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have one more issue involving variations in air pressure and tire performance. 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 air pressure inside of the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Hence, less 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 problems with air pressure. Customers are notoriously undependable when it comes to maintaining correct air pressure. Tires which have improper air pressure can lead to unsafe situations. It is very vital to keep in mind that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes too, which can be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very vital to consider the kind of settings you will be needing your equipment to operate in so that you can frequently check the tires and keep the equipment as safe as possible.