Enhanced Tire Quality Controls by Novel X-ray Digital Detectors

X-ray linear detector arrays (LDAs) have been an ideal choice for inline and offline nondestructive testing (NDT) in the tire industry. Novel digital X-ray detectors have recently been developed for enhanced tire quality control. They are based on a new intelligent digital platform, which is targeted to improve image quality, increase the maximum scanning speed, and save on the overall system cost by both electronics and software design. Furthermore, they also provide remote firmware upgrades, diagnostics, and other advanced features. This paper presents the working principles of a typical industrial X-ray imaging system in the tire industry. It describes a new U-shaped detector, and explains how to improve the production efficiency as well as detection abilities in X-ray tire inspection systems. To illustrate, examples of applications in X-ray tire inspection systems are presented for various types of tires.