Conjugated Diene Rubber End Modification for Tire Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rubber compositions for tires, especially those containing carbon black, often fail to provide optimal low-heat buildup and wet grip properties, despite efforts to enhance their performance.
Innovation Solution
A conjugated diene rubber is developed by modifying the active ends of polymer chains with a compound having a >C=O functional group, resulting in a rubber composition that exhibits excellent tensile strength, low-heat buildup, and wet grip properties when combined with carbon black.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If carbon black is mixed with synthetic rubber without sufficient dispersion, then the mixing process is simple, but the tire shows poor low-heat buildup property
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-modifying the synthetic rubber with a polyol compound before mixing with carbon black. This pre-treatment creates hydroxyl groups on the rubber surface that enhance affinity with carbon black, ensuring proper dispersion before the mixing process occurs, thus resolving the contradiction between mixing simplicity and low-heat buildup performance
Solution Approach 2:
The polyol compound acts as an intermediary substance between the synthetic rubber and carbon black. It forms a bridging layer with hydroxyl groups that interact with both the rubber matrix and carbon black particles, facilitating proper dispersion and adhesion without requiring complex mixing procedures, thereby improving low-heat buildup property while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
2Stability of the object's composition
If a modifying agent is reacted with polymer to enhance carbon black affinity, then carbon black dispersion improves, but wet grip property and tensile strength remain insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the molecular weight, hydroxyl value, and chemical structure of the polyol modifying agent. By optimizing these parameters, the modification achieves optimal balance between carbon black affinity and rubber mechanical properties, resolving the contradiction between dispersion stability and strength requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure where the polyol-modified rubber forms a matrix that simultaneously binds carbon black particles and maintains rubber elasticity. This composite approach combines the dispersing effect of the modifying agent with the mechanical strength of the rubber matrix, achieving both good carbon black dispersion and excellent tensile strength and wet grip properties
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional rubber composition is used, then manufacturing is straightforward, but wet grip property and low-heat buildup property are not optimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the chemical composition parameters of the rubber system through polyol addition. This changes the hydroxyl content and molecular structure parameters, which simultaneously improve wet grip and low-heat buildup properties while requiring only simple mixing and vulcanization processes, thus maintaining ease of manufacture
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 modified conjugated diene rubber composition significantly improves the tire's mechanical strength, low-heat buildup, and wet grip performance, addressing the limitations of previous technologies.
Implementation Method 1
by reacting a certain modifying agent with a polymer, a rubber itself to have an affinity for carbon black
Implementation Method 2
when synthetic rubber and carbon black are mixed and kneaded, if the carbon black is not sufficiently dispersed
Implementation Method 3
a cross-linked rubber prepared by cross-linking the rubber composition
Data Source
AI summary
A conjugated diene rubber of the present invention is prepared from conjugated diene polymer chains, wherein the conjugated diene polymer chains each has an active end at one end and an isoprene block at least at the other end, the isoprene block contains 70 wt% or more isoprene monomer units, and the active ends of at least part of the conjugated diene polymer chains are modified with a compound having a >C=O group as a functional group. This provides (i) a tire that has an excellent strength, excellent low-heat buildup property, and excellent wet grip property and (ii) a rubber composition and a conjugated diene rubber that are suitably used to produce the tire.