Abstract:
This invention relates to a pneumatic rubber tire having a tread of a cap/base layered construction wherein said tire contains a first component as a tread cap layer having a running surface and at least two additional tire rubber components, wherein said tire components are comprised of rubber compositions which contain a maximum of 50 phr of reinforcing filler comprised of a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black. In one aspect, a purpose of such maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black for said plurality of tire components is to promote a relatively low hysteresis property within said tire via such components to thereby promote relatively low rolling resistance for a pneumatic tire which contains such components. In practice, such additional tire components may be, for example, outer sidewall rubber layer, apex, chafer, belt ply and carcass ply components.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a pneumatic tire comprising raised indicia on a sidewall of the tire, the raised indicia comprising a plurality of superposed layers of a curable elastomer composition.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a tire having a tread of a rubber composition comprised of a composite of styrene/butadiene elastomer and functionalized styrene/butadiene elastomer containing an internal silanol and/or siloxy group therein with pendent silanol and/or alkoxy groups of a polymodal (e.g. bimodal) molecular weight distribution, together with at least 30 phr of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber and a dispersion in said rubber composition of precipitated silica aggregates and a coupling agent as a bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide having an average of from only 2 to 2.5 sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge to the exclusion of a bis (3-trialkoxysilylalkyl) polysulfide having an average of greater than 2.5, and particularly greater than 3, sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge. In one aspect, said silica aggregates may be pre-treated to reduce said hydroxyl groups on their surface prior to blending with said silanol and/or siloxy functionalized elastomer. In one aspect, a carbon black contained in the rubber composition may be an electrically conductive carbon black.
Abstract:
This invention relates to a pneumatic rubber tire having a rubber sidewall composition of a lug and groove configuration which is designed to be ground contacting. Such sidewall configuration is of a rubber composition comprised of a blend of natural rubber and cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber which contains specified carbon black reinforcement and silica together with a coupling agent. The tire tread rubber composition differs from the rubber composition of said sidewall lug and groove configuration by being exclusive of silica and coupling agent and carbon black reinforcement exclusive of said specified carbon black.
Abstract:
High viscosity elastomers are often difficult to utilize in rubber compositions without first creating a pre-blend of the high viscosity elastomer and a rubber processing oil to reduce their overall viscosity. This invention relates to utilization of a specialized pre-blend of high viscosity and low viscosity elastomers for use in rubber compositions and to the resulting rubber composition. The use of such resulting rubber composition may be for component(s) of tires, particularly including tire treads. The specialized pre-blend of high and low viscosity elastomers is required to be created by blending individual latices or, alternatively, by blending individual polymerizates of elastomers with diverse viscosities.
Abstract:
A method is disclosed for processing a rubber composition comprising thermomechanically mixing at a rubber temperature in a range of 140.degree. C. to 190.degree. C. for a mixing time of 1 to 20 minutes(i) 100 parts by weight of at least one sulfur vulcanizable elastomer selected from conjugated diene homopolymers and copolymers, natural rubber and copolymers of at least one conjugated diene and aromatic vinyl compound;(ii) 10 to 250 phr of particulate precipitated silica;(iii) 0.01 to 1.0 parts by weight per weight of said silica of an organosilicon compound; and(iv) 0.05 to 10 phr of sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate.Addition of the sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate to sulfur vulcanizable rubber, silica and sulfur containing organosilicon compound decreases the mixing/processing time without sacrificing end product properties.
Abstract:
The subject invention discloses a pneumatic tire having an outer circumferential tread wherein said tread is a sulfur-cured rubber composition comprised of (a) an isoprene-butadiene diblock rubber, said isoprene-butadiene diblock rubber being comprised of a butadiene block and an isoprene-butadiene block, wherein said butadiene block has a number average molecular weight which is within the range of about 25,000 to about 350,000, wherein said isoprene-butadiene block has a number average molecular weight which is within the range of about 25,000 to about 350,000, wherein said isoprene-butadiene diblock rubber has essentially one glass transition temperature which is within the range of about -100.degree. C. to about -70.degree. C., wherein said isoprene-butadiene diblock polymer has a Mooney ML-4 viscosity at 100.degree. C. which is within the range of about 50 to about 140, and wherein the repeat units derived from isoprene and 1,3-butadiene in the isoprene-butadiene block are in essentially random order; and (b) a second rubber selected from the group consisting of high vinyl polybutadiene rubber, styrene-isoprene-butadiene rubber, solution styrene-butadiene rubber and emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber.
Abstract:
This invention relates to a tire having a tread composed of quantitatively silica reinforced rubber composition, with a minor amount, if any, of carbon black where the tread elastomers are primarily composed of coupled styrene/isoprene/butadiene terpolymer with tin or silicon in combination with selected diene-based elastomers.