METHOD OF LASER CLEANING A TIRE INNER SURFACE AND PNEUMATIC TIRE

• Main Authors: GRIFFOIN, Jean-Claude Patrice Philippe, HELFEN, Thomas Benedikt
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 07.06.2017
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CLEANING; CLEANING IN GENERAL; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; REPAIRING, OR CONNECTING VALVES TO, INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIESIN GENERAL; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; TYRE CHANGING OR REPAIRING; TYRE INFLATION; VEHICLE TYRES; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method of cleaning an innermost surface of a pneumatic tire and a respective tire is disclosed. The surface (10) has a residue (12) deposited thereon. The method comprises the steps of: activating a laser to generate laser radiation; directing a pulse of laser radiation to impinge on an area of the innermost surface (10), the pulse of radiation having a pulse width and a fluence sufficient to remove at least part of the residue (12) in the area to form a cleaned area; and repeating the step of directing the pulse of radiation sequentially over the innermost surface (10) to form a sequence of cleaned areas, the sequence of cleaned areas defining a stripe (14, 114), the stripe (14, 114) following a continuous nonlinear path (15) extending at least one circumference about the innermost surface (10), the stripe (114, 114) having a stripe width (W2).