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.
The tire will remain inflated with all the weight of the vehicle resting on it, as the pressure of the air within the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air inside the tire provides resistance against forces that 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 experienced taking a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you know how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Pneumatic tires also come with drawbacks. High-performance situations or highly dangerous applications for instance, 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 dangerous 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 kind of problems and therefore, in certain applications, could be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have another problem involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure can 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 pressure of the air in the tire works to maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire as well as maintain the "up and down" stiffness. Hence, reduced air pressure allows the sidewalls of the tires to flex. Unfortunately, this leads to poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other issues too. With regards to to maintaining correct air pressure, customers are notoriously unreliable. Improper air pressure in tires can result in really unsafe situations. It is important to keep in mind that pneumatic tires are also prone to temperature changes, which can be responsible for changing the internal pressure of the tire. It is essential to consider the kind of settings you will be requiring your equipment to operate in so that you could frequently check the tires and keep the machinery as safe as possible.