An air-filled or pneumatic tire is composed on an inner core which is filled with pressurized air and sealed airtight. Typically, a reinforced steel belted tread or other kind of materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact area with the road.
Because the air pressure within the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure, the tire remains inflated even with the weight of the vehicle resting on it. The air pressure within the tire provides 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 which had wooden wheels, you know how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires can make.
Pneumatic tires also come with disadvantages. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for instance, these tires can suffer a puncture and this will result in a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds could lead to a dangerous car accident. Military planners must consider tires getting blown out by shooting of guns or explosion shrapnel. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped within a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires obviously don't suffer from these type of problems and hence, in some applications, might be more suitable.
The pneumatic tire may have issues as well with the variation in tire performance and air pressure. The lower pressure inside a tire may increase the traction and the comfort level. This is due to 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 lateral stiffness of the tire as well as maintain the "up and down" stiffness. Thus, less air pressure enables the sidewalls of the tires to flex. This results in poor handling unfortunately. Within an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other problems too. When it comes to maintaining proper air pressure, customers are notoriously undependable. Wrong air pressure within tires can result in very dangerous situations. It is important to bear in mind that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes also, which could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very important to consider the type of settings you will be needing your machine to function in so that you could frequently inspect the tires and keep the machinery as safe as possible.