The air-filled or pneumatic tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Usually, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other materials, provides the contact part with the road and seals this inner core.
The tire would remain inflated with all the weight of the vehicle resting on it, because the air pressure within the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure inside the tire gives resistance against forces that try to deform the tire. This gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect when the tire hits bumps in the road. 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 disadvantages. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for instance, these tires can suffer a puncture and this will lead to a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can lead to a serious car accident. Military planners must take into account tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or shooting of guns. The worst nightmare of a vehicle crew is becoming trapped within a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these type of issues and hence, in certain applications, can be more suitable.
The pneumatic tire might have problems 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 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 tires' sidewalls to flex. Unfortunately, this results in poor handling. Within an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other issues with air pressure. Customers are notoriously unreliable when it comes to maintaining correct air pressure. Tires which have wrong air pressure can lead to dangerous situations. It is really vital to keep in mind that pneumatic tires are susceptible to temperature changes also, which could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is vital to consider the kind of settings you would be requiring your machinery to operate in so that you can regularly inspect the tires and keep the equipment as safe as possible.