METHOD OF LASER CLEANING A TIRE INNER SURFACE, AND A TIRE

• Main Authors: GRIFFOIN, Jean-Claude Patrice Philippe, HELFEN, Thomas Benedikt
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.01.2019
• 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

The present invention is directed to a method of cleaning an innermost surface of a pneumatic tire, the surface having a residue deposited thereon, comprising 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, the pulse of radiation having a pulse width and a fluence sufficient to remove at least part of the residue in the area to form a cleaned area; repeating the step of directing the pulse of radiation sequentially over the innermost surface to form a sequence of cleaned areas, the sequence of cleaned areas defining a stripe, the stripe following a continuous nonlinear path extending at least one circumference about the inner surface, the stripe having a stripe width W2. The invention is further directed to a tire made by the method.