Non-Pneumatic Tire Polymeric Blend for Wide-Temperature Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional non-pneumatic tires face challenges in maintaining structural integrity and performance across a wide range of temperatures, which affects their durability and efficiency in supporting vehicle weight and absorbing road shocks.
Innovation Solution
A temperature stable polymeric blend comprising a thermoplastic polyester elastomer, a high temperature thermoplastic polymer, a compatibilizer resin, a delayed crosslinking agent, and an activator, which is processed using a twin-screw extruder to create a blend that maintains its mechanical properties from -40°C to 190°C.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional single-polymer material is used for non-pneumatic tire spokes, then the material is easy to process and manufacture, but it cannot maintain mechanical properties across a wide temperature range from -40°C to 190°C
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by creating a multi-component polymer blend system consisting of a thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPE), a high-temperature thermoplastic polymer, a compatibilizer resin, a delayed crosslinking agent, and an activator. This composite approach allows the material to maintain mechanical properties across a wide temperature range (-40°C to 190°C) by combining the advantages of different polymer systems, where the TPE provides low-temperature flexibility and the high-temperature polymer maintains structural integrity at elevated temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by systematically optimizing the composition ratios of each component in the polymer blend. The TPE constitutes 30-95 parts, the high-temperature polymer constitutes 5-70 parts, the compatibilizer resin is present at 1-20 parts, the delayed crosslinking agent is present at 0.1-10 parts, and the activator is present at 0.1-5 parts. This parametric optimization enables tuning of the material's glass transition temperature, melt temperature, and crosslinking characteristics to achieve temperature stability while maintaining processability.
2Strength
If a high-temperature thermoplastic polymer is used alone, then the material maintains strength at high temperatures, but it becomes too rigid and loses elasticity at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different functional roles to different components of the polymer blend. The high-temperature thermoplastic polymer (such as polysulfone with Tg of 200-300°C) provides structural strength and dimensional stability at elevated temperatures, while the thermoplastic polyester elastomer (with Tg of 50-100°C and melt temperature of 200-280°C) provides low-temperature flexibility and elasticity. The compatibilizer resin ensures proper interfacial adhesion between these components with incompatible polarities, enabling each component to perform its designated function locally within the blend.
3Stability of the object's composition
If rapid crosslinking is performed during processing, then the material achieves high thermal stability, but it becomes difficult to process and mold
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating a delayed crosslinking agent (such as an epoxy compound) and an activator (such as an amine-based activator) into the polymer blend during the compounding stage, but the actual crosslinking reaction is delayed until after the molding process is complete. The crosslinking agents remain dormant during extrusion and injection molding, allowing the material to be processed like a thermoplastic. After molding, upon exposure to moisture or heat, the crosslinking reaction proceeds to provide enhanced thermal stability and chemical resistance in the final product.
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 polymeric blend achieves a high modulus of elasticity and resistance to thermal degradation, ensuring that non-pneumatic tire components retain at least 90% of their mechanical properties across the specified temperature range, enhancing their durability and performance.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature stable polymeric blend comprises: (a) a thermoplastic polyester elastomer, preferably a polyether-polyester block copolymer, having at least one of: (i) a Tg of about 50 to about 100° C., preferably about 50 to about 80° C., or (ii) a melt temperature of about 200 to about 280, preferably about 210 to about 260° C.
Implementation Method 2
a delayed crosslinking agent, preferably an epoxy compound, and (e) an activator, preferably an amine-based activator
Implementation Method 3
the heating and mixing occur in an extruder, preferably a twin-screw extruder
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are polymeric blends suitable for use in non-pneumatic tires, processes for preparing the polymeric blends, and non-pneumatic tires and components thereof incorporating the polymeric blend. The polymeric blends include a thermoplastic polyester elastomer, a high temperature thermoplastic polymer, a compatibilizer resin, a delayed crosslinking agent, and an activator.