The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Typically, a reinforced steel belted tread or other type of materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact part with the road.
The tire will remain inflated with all the vehicle's weight resting on it, as the pressure of the air within the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air within the tire provides resistance against forces which try to deform the tire. This gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect as 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 exactly 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 will result in a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a serious car crash. Military planners should consider tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or shooting 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 evidently don't suffer from these problems and hence, in certain applications, may be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have one more problem involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure could create improved traction and increased comfort. This is because of the fact that tires flatten slightly and more tread is placed in contact with 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. 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.
There are other problems with air pressure. Customers are notoriously undependable when it comes to maintaining proper air pressure. Tires that have wrong air pressure could lead to unsafe situations. It is important to keep in mind that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes also, that could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very important to consider the type of environments you will be needing your equipment to function in so that you could inspect the tires regularly and keep the machine as safe as possible.