Adhesive composition for textile/rubber adhesive bonding, and tire comprising a textile/rubber composite

Abstract

The present invention concerns an adhesive composition that can be used to bond textile fibers adhesively to a cross-linkable rubber composition, textile fibers sized by means of the said adhesive composition, a composite comprising the textile fibers and a cross-linked rubber composition that is permeable to light, and a tire body whose sidewalls comprise the composite. An adhesive composition according to the invention comprises an aqueous thermosetting phenolic adhesive containing at least one diene elastomer and at least one organic pigment. This adhesive composition is the reaction product the aqueous thermosetting phenolic adhesive and an aqueous pigmentary dispersion containing the organic pigment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present application is a continuation of PCT / EPO1 / 00993 filed Jan. 31, 2001, now WO 01 / 57116 A1. The present invention concerns an adhesive composition that can be used to bond textile fibers adhesively to a cross-linkable rubber composition. The invention also relates to textile fibers sized by means of the adhesive composition, a composite comprising the sized textile fibers and a cross-linked rubber composition that is permeable to light, and a tire body whose sidewalls comprise the composite.[0002]The coloring of textile cables to make them visible through the sidewalls of a tire, in particular a bicycle tire, is well known. This expedient is adopted in order to enhance the appearance of the sidewalls by exposing to view the structure of textile cables provided radially inside a cross-linked rubber composition which is transparent or translucent, so that the cables can be seen through the rubber composition.[0003]For example, British Patent G...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above drawback concerning the use of an ethylene-urea compound to lighten the color of the RFL adhesive, without adverse effect upon the adhesion. The present invention is based on the surprising discovery that an aqueous pigment dispersion comprising at least one organic pigment can be used in an adhesive composition that can be used to bond textile fibers adhesively to a cross-linkable rubber composition, wherein the adhesive composition is the reaction product of the aqueous pigmentary dispersion and an aqueous thermosetting phenolic adhesive which comprises at least one diene elastomer. The resulting adhesive composition has a light color different from the red or orange-red colors inherent in thermosetting formophenolic resins such as RFL resin, while having no adverse effect on the adhesion between the textile fibers and the cross-linkable rubber composition.

[0023]The presence of the pigment in the form of an aqueous dispersion in the adhesive composition eliminates the need for an additional compound to obtain the light color desired, since the adhesive composition contains no ethylene-urea compound. Moreover, the aqueous pigmentary dispersion has no adverse effect on the adhesion of the thermosetting phenolic adhesive.

Problems solved by technology

However, a disadvantage of this RFL-type adhesive emerges when it has been use to attach cables of textile fibers to a cross-linked rubber composition that is permeable to light, such that the cables can be seen through the rubber composition.

Such colors or color tints are not always desirable from an aesthetic standpoint for a favorable exposure to sight of the textile cables within the sidewalls.

However, a major disadvantage of this sizing and coloring operation is the higher operating cost incurred by the use of the additional ethylene-urea compound in the sizing solution.