The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Normally, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact part with the road.
The tire will remain inflated with all the weight of the vehicle resting on it, as the air pressure in the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air within the tire provides resistance against forces which attempt 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 that had wooden wheels, you know precisely how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Surely, there are several disadvantages to pneumatic tires. For example in high-performance situations or highly dangerous applications, these tires can suffer a puncture and this would result in a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds could result in a dangerous 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 in a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires obviously don't suffer from these problems and therefore, in certain applications, can be more suitable.
Pneumatic tires have one more problem involving variations in tire performance and air pressure. Lower tire pressure can create increased comfort and improved traction. This is because of the fact that tires flatten slightly and more tread is touching the road. The air pressure inside of the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Thus, less air pressure allows the sidewalls of the tires to flex. Unfortunately, this results in poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other problems with air pressure. Consumers are notoriously unreliable when it comes to maintaining proper air pressure. Tires which have wrong air pressure could result in unsafe situations. It is vital to note that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes too, which can be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very essential to consider the type of environments you will be needing your machine to function in so that you can regularly check the tires and keep the machine as safe as possible.