The air-filled or pneumatic tire consists of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Typically, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other type of materials, provides the contact area with the road and seals this inner core.
As the air pressure in 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 gives 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 that had wooden wheels, you know precisely how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Of course, there are some disadvantages to pneumatic tires. For instance in high-performance situations or highly dangerous applications, 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 crash. Military planners should take into consideration tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or gunfire. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped in a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these kind of problems and hence, in certain applications, can be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have another issue involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure could create improved traction and increased comfort. This is due to the fact that tires flatten slightly 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, less air pressure enables 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.
There are other problems with air pressure. Consumers are notoriously undependable when it comes to maintaining correct air pressure. Tires that have improper air pressure can lead to unsafe situations. It is very 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 really vital to consider the kind of settings you would be requiring your machinery to operate in so that you could check the tires regularly and keep the machine as safe as possible.