A pneumatic or air-filled tire is composed on an inner core that is filled with pressurized air and sealed airtight. Normally, a reinforced steel belted tread or other materials, provides the contact part with the road and seals this inner core.
As the air pressure inside the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure, the tire remains inflated even with a vehicles' weight resting on it. The pressure of the air in 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 how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Pneumatic tires also come with disadvantages. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for example, these tires could suffer a puncture and this would lead to a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can lead to a dangerous car accident. Military planners must take into account tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or firing of guns. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped in a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires obviously don't suffer from these type of problems and therefore, might be more suitable in some applications.
Pneumatic tires have another problem involving variations in air pressure and tire performance. Lower tire pressure could create improved traction and increased comfort. This is due to the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is touching the road. The air pressure in the tire works to maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire as well as maintain the "up and down" stiffness. Thus, reduced air pressure enables 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 too. With regards to to maintaining proper air pressure, customers are notoriously unreliable. Wrong air pressure inside tires can lead to very dangerous situations. It is vital to bear in mind that pneumatic tires are also susceptible to temperature changes, which can be responsible for changing the internal pressure of the tire. It is essential to consider the kind of environments you will be requiring your equipment to function in so that you could inspect the tires on a regular basis and keep the machinery as safe as possible.