An air-filled or pneumatic tire consists of an inner core which is sealed airtight and filled with pressurized air. Normally, a reinforced steel belted tread or other kind of materials, provides the contact part with the road and seals this inner core.
The tire will remain inflated with all the vehicle's weight resting on it, since the pressure of the air in the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure inside the tire gives resistance against forces which 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 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 makes.
Pneumatic tires also come with drawbacks. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for example, 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 crash. Military planners must take into consideration tires getting blown out by gunfire 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 kind of problems and hence, could be more suitable in certain applications.
Pneumatic tires have another problem involving variations in air pressure and tire performance. Lower tire pressure can create increased comfort and improved traction. This is because of the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is placed in contact with the road. The air pressure in the tire works to maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire as well as maintain the "up and down" stiffness. Therefore, reduced air pressure enables the tires' sidewalls 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 issues too. When it comes to maintaining correct air pressure, consumers are notoriously undependable. Wrong air pressure in tires can result in very unsafe situations. It is very important to note that pneumatic tires are susceptible to temperature changes too, that could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is vital to take into consideration the kind of settings you will be needing your equipment to operate in so that you could check the tires regularly and keep the machine as safe as possible.