Method and apparatus for non-destructive inspection of tires
AssigneeBandag Incorporated
InventorDoyle L. Dugger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pulsed through-transmission ultrasonic non-destructive inspection of the internal structure in a tire wall is effected. The ultrasonic inspection is preferably carried out through the walls of a rotating inflated tire with the ultrasonic transducers being automatically moved toward the inner and outer tire wall surfaces to optimum relative distances of separation during an inspection cycle. The transducers disposed inside the inflated tire are preferably mounted for automatic retraction into a protected space during tire mounting and demounting operations. Such ultrasonic inspection techniques may be combined with conventional tire buffing methods and apparatus as practiced in tire retreading operations.
Claims12
Apparatus for buffing and for nondestructively testing a buffed tire carcass, said apparatus comprising:
- opposing circular rings for sealingly engaging the corresponding rims of said tire,
- tire inflation means for inflating said tire after engagement by said rings,
- buffing means for rotating said inflated tire and for buffing away the outer tread wall surfaces to provide a substantially uniform outside tread wall surface on the resulting tire carcass,
- ultrasonic testing means disposed both inside and outside said inflated tire for measuring the relative strengths of ultrasonic acoustic signals transmitted through different areas of said buffed tread wall as it is rotated thereby non-destructively testing the buffed tire carcass.
Method for buffing and for nondestructively testing a buffed tire carcass, said method comprising:
- sealingly engaging the rims of said tire between opposing rings,
- inflating said tire after engagement by said rings,
- rotating said inflated tire and buffing away the outer tread wall surfaces to provide a substantially uniform outside tread wall surface on the resulting tire carcass, and
- measuring the relative strengths of ultrasonic acoustic signals transmitted through different areas of said buffed tread wall as it is rotated thereby nondestructively testing the buffed tire carcass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.