Modified Diene Rubber Silica Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rubber compositions for tire treads face challenges in achieving low rolling resistance and steering stability due to poor affinity and dispersibility of silica with diene rubber, leading to insufficient wear resistance and dynamic visco-elasticity improvements.
Innovation Solution
A rubber composition comprising a modified conjugated diene polymer rubber with a terminal modified group that interacts with silica, combined with a high specific surface area silica, to enhance affinity and dispersibility, thereby reducing rolling resistance and improving steering stability and wear resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If silica is compounded in a rubber composition to reduce rolling resistance and improve fuel consumption performance, then rolling resistance is reduced, but silica dispersibility is insufficient and wear resistance becomes inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
A silane coupling agent is introduced as an intermediary substance between silica and diene rubber. The silane coupling agent contains both silane groups that bond with silica and functional groups that interact with rubber, thereby improving silica dispersibility and wear resistance while maintaining low rolling resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system consisting of diene rubber, silica, and silane coupling agent. This composite structure allows the silane coupling agent to bridge the interface between silica and rubber, simultaneously achieving good dispersibility, wear resistance, and low rolling resistance
2Loss of energy
If the amount of silica is increased to suppress heat build-up and reduce rolling resistance, then fuel consumption performance is improved, but silica affinity with diene rubber is poor and dynamic visco-elasticity characteristics are not sufficiently improved
Solution Approach 1:
The silane coupling agent acts as a mediator that enhances the interaction between silica and diene rubber. By forming chemical bonds with silica and physical interactions with rubber, it improves the uniformity of stress distribution and dynamic visco-elasticity characteristics while suppressing heat build-up
3Reliability
If carbon black is used instead of silica to improve reinforcing effects, then wear resistance is improved, but rolling resistance and fuel consumption performance are not sufficiently optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical and physical parameters of the filler system by using silica with specific surface area and pore structure characteristics, combined with silane coupling agent treatment. This parameter optimization allows achieving both low rolling resistance and adequate wear resistance, outperforming conventional carbon black systems
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 rubber composition significantly reduces rolling resistance and enhances steering stability and wear resistance by improving silica dispersibility and interaction, while maintaining superior wet grip performance.
Implementation Method 1
the terminal modified group has a functional group that interacts with the silica
Data Source
AI summary
A rubber composition for use in tire treads comprises a diene rubber including not less than 40% by weight of a modified conjugated diene polymer rubber and, per 100 parts by weight of the diene rubber, from 66 to 110 parts by weight of a filler. The filler comprises not less than 50% by weight of silica. The modified conjugated diene polymer rubber is obtained by copolymerizing a conjugated diene monomer unit and an aromatic vinyl monomer unit in a hydrocarbon solvent using an organic active metal compound as an initiator. A resulting active conjugated diene polymer chain thereof has a terminal modified group, obtained by reacting at least one type of compound having a functional group that is reactable with the active terminal of the polymer chain. Moreover, the terminal modified group has a functional group that interacts with the silica.