A pneumatic or air-filled tire consists of an inner core that is sealed airtight and filled with pressurized air. Typically, 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, because the air pressure within the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air in 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 could make.
Pneumatic tires also come with drawbacks. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for instance, these tires could suffer a puncture and this would result in a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds could result in a serious car accident. Military planners must 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 type of issues and thus, in certain applications, could be more suitable.
The pneumatic tire might have problems as well with the variation in air pressure and tire performance. The lower pressure in a tire may increase the comfort level and the traction. 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 "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Hence, reduced air pressure allows the sidewalls of the tires to flex. This leads to poor handling unfortunately. In 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 correct air pressure. Tires that have improper air pressure could result in dangerous situations. It is very vital 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 really important to take into consideration the kind of settings you would be requiring your machinery to operate in so that you could check the tires regularly and keep the machinery as safe as possible.