Copolymer Silane Coupling for Tire Tread Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tire tread rubbers face a trade-off between achieving good fuel economy and wet grip performance, and existing solutions like silica dispersion in rubber are inefficient due to uniformity issues.
Innovation Solution
Copolymers are developed by copolymerizing an aromatic vinyl compound, a conjugated diene compound, and a specific compound, forming reversible bonds with silica, which improves the dispersion and performance of rubber compositions for tires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If silica is used to improve fuel economy and wet grip performance, then overall tire performance is improved, but silica is difficult to disperse uniformly in rubber causing poor processability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a silane coupling agent as an intermediary substance that mediates between silica and rubber. The silane coupling agent contains both silane groups that bond with silica and organic functional groups that are compatible with rubber, thereby enabling uniform dispersion of silica in rubber and improving processability while maintaining tire performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system consisting of silica, silane coupling agent, and rubber. This composite structure allows the silica particles to be uniformly distributed within the rubber matrix through the bridging action of the silane coupling agent, resolving the dispersion issue while preserving the performance benefits of silica
2Reliability
If conventional copolymer compositions are used to achieve balance between fuel economy and wet grip, then acceptable performance is obtained, but overall performance cannot be further improved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the copolymer by incorporating specific functional groups (hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino groups) in controlled amounts. This parameter modification enables the copolymer to form stronger interactions with silica, thereby improving overall tire performance beyond conventional compositions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The copolymers enhance both fuel economy and wet grip performance by improving silica dispersion, leading to better overall tire performance.
Implementation Method 1
the copolymer having a weight average molecular weight of 1.0×10³ to 2.5×10⁶... R1 and R2 may be the same or different and each represents a functional group containing at least two selected from the group consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and silicon
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are copolymers which provide improved overall performance in terms of fuel economy and wet grip performance, as well as rubber compositions and tires containing the copolymers. Included is a copolymer obtained by copolymerizing an aromatic vinyl compound, a conjugated diene compound, and a compound represented by the formula (1) below or by copolymerizing a conjugated diene compound and a compound represented by the formula (1) below, the copolymer having a weight average molecular weight of 1.0×103 to 2.5×106,wherein R1 and R2 may be the same or different and each represents a functional group containing at least two selected from the group consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and silicon, and R1 and R2 may be joined together to form a ring structure.