Casing Inspection is Critical to Your Tire Retreading Performance

Retread tires are now helping fleet operators throughout the country consolidate their costs and improve the lifetime value achieved from their tires. But without an effective casing inspection process, tire retread benefits are forgone. Our team at STTC has spent many years guiding clients on the importance of the casing inspection process for tire retreading and in this latest post, we’ll explain a few of the steps involved in basic inspection work before the tire is sent to a retread plant.

Begin with close analysis

The initial element of the casing inspection process involves probing all nail holes to determine if they have spread from rust or from flexing and whether they can be salvaged by a section repair or have to be scrapped.

A knowledgeable individual can conduct an on-the-spot analysis to determine the tire is salvageable and might be able to be retreaded .. The inspector can also ensure that the repair size will fit within industry standards for safe tire performance and the specifications for the fleet operator.

Examining the wear patterns

One critical part of casing inspection work is looking at the wear patterns for the tire.  The most serious internal wear issue is run flat as that destroys the air holding capacity of the tire. The tire will usually have a criss-cross flex pattern on the inside wall, indicating improper air pressure maintenance. Other markers of improper air pressure are rounding off of each tread ribs, uneven tread wear, and excessive rim flange wear, which indicate a radial tire has been run while significantly under-inflated. If a tire shows wear issues related to air pressure, but does not show signs of run flat, then that tire should be okay for retreading. Any irregular wear on the tire tread, so long as steel isn’t showing, is also okay for retreading.

Identifying broken cords within the tire

Broken cords will make the tire unusable from a tire retreading standpoint, and this issue is often diagnosed through the use of a pressure tester. The casing is inflated to around 30PSI and if bulging occurs around the outside of the sidewall flex areas, this is indicative of broken cords. In fact, all personnel involved in the retreading process are taught to examine for bulging as the tire retreading takes place to identify any unsafe tires. This bulging and split cords can usually be felt by running your hand across the side wall of the tire as well. Working with an experienced tire retreading company can help you to learn more about the tire examination process and the value that retreads can bring to your fleet in the coming years. Our team at STTC are experts in this area. To discover more, contact us today.