Foamed Cap Tread Rubber Composition for Balanced Winter Tire Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cold weather tires exhibit inferior handling stability and grip performance at high speeds on snow- and ice-free roads while prioritizing performance on ice and snow at low speeds, and lack a balanced improvement in fuel economy, abrasion resistance, and high-speed performance.
Innovation Solution
A cold weather tire with a cap tread formed from a rubber composition comprising polybutadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and natural or polyisoprene rubber, combined with silica, which includes cells or voids, achieving a balanced improvement in fuel economy, abrasion resistance, and high-speed performance on snow- and ice-free roads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cold weather tires use foamed rubber components to improve performance on ice and snow, then low-temperature grip and ice performance are improved, but handling stability and grip performance at high speeds on snow- and ice-free roads deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a cap tread with non-uniform density distribution through controlled foaming. The foam structure provides localized low-density regions for ice and snow grip while maintaining higher density in other areas for high-speed stability. This spatial variation in material properties resolves the contradiction between ice performance and handling stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining foamed rubber components with specific rubber compounds (natural rubber, polybutadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber) and fillers (silica, carbon black). This composite structure integrates the benefits of foam (low-temperature grip) with the strengths of specific rubber compounds (high-speed stability and handling), resolving the performance contradiction.
2Reliability
If cold weather tires prioritize performance on ice and snow at low speeds, then ice and snow grip is improved, but fuel economy and abrasion resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the foam expansion ratio, rubber compound composition ratios, and filler content. These parameter optimizations ensure that the tire achieves sufficient ice and snow grip while minimizing rolling resistance and energy loss, thereby improving fuel economy without sacrificing winter performance.
3Reliability
If foamed rubber components are used to improve ice performance, then low-temperature grip is improved, but abrasion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by integrating foamed rubber with abrasion-resistant rubber compounds (high polybutadiene and styrene-butadiene content) and耐磨 fillers (silica, carbon black). This composite structure provides both the low-temperature grip benefits of foam and the abrasion resistance of reinforced rubber compounds, resolving the contradiction between ice performance and durability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a cold weather tire achieving a balanced improvement in fuel economy, abrasion resistance, performance on ice and snow, and high-speed performance (handling stability, grip performance) on snow- and ice-free roads at low temperatures. The cold weather tire includes a cap tread formed of a rubber composition that contains: a rubber component including polybutadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and natural rubber and/or polyisoprene rubber; and a filler, the rubber composition having a combined amount of the natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, and polybutadiene rubber of 80% by mass or more, an amount of the polybutadiene rubber of 30% by mass or more, and an amount of the styrene butadiene rubber of 0.3-10% by mass, each based on 100% by mass of the rubber component, the filler including 60% by mass or more of silica based on 100% by mass of the filler, the cap tread having cells and/or voids.