The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Normally, a reinforced steel belted tread or other kind of materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact part with the road.
Because the air pressure inside the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure, the tire remains inflated even with the weight of the vehicle resting on it. The air pressure inside the tire provides resistance against forces which 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 that had wooden wheels, you understand how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Surely, there are several drawbacks to pneumatic tires. For example in high-performance situations or highly dangerous applications, these tires could suffer a puncture and this would result in a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can lead to a dangerous car crash. Military planners need to take into account tires getting blown out by shooting of guns or explosion shrapnel. The worst nightmare of a vehicle crew is becoming trapped in a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these problems and therefore, may be more suitable in certain applications.
The pneumatic tire may have issues as well with the variation in tire performance and air pressure. The lower pressure inside a tire could increase the comfort level and the traction. This is due to the fact that tires flatten slightly 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, less air pressure allows the tires' sidewalls to flex. This leads to poor handling unfortunately. Within an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other issues also. When it comes to maintaining proper air pressure, customers are notoriously undependable. Incorrect air pressure in tires could result in very dangerous 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 important to take into consideration the kind of environments you would be requiring your machine to operate in so that you could regularly check the tires and keep the machinery as safe as possible.