Polyphenylene Ether Resin Plasticizer for Tire Tread
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Tire tread compositions face challenges in balancing ease of manufacturing with high resistance to wear and grip on both dry and wet roads, while conventional plasticizing agents often increase raw stickiness and manufacturing difficulties.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a thermoplastic resin based on optionally substituted polyphenylene ether units, which enhances compatibility with vinylaromatic diene elastomers, reducing particle size and improving glass transition temperature, thereby improving manufacturing ease and tire performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional plasticizing agents are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but raw stickiness increases and manufacturing difficulty worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the plasticizing agent by using polyphenylene ether resin instead of conventional plasticizing oils or resins. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by providing plasticizing effect without increasing raw stickiness, as the polyphenylene ether resin maintains compatibility with vinylaromatic diene elastomer while avoiding the harmful sticky effect of conventional agents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining polyphenylene ether resin with vinylaromatic diene elastomer. This composite approach allows the resin to function as a plasticizer while its specific chemical structure prevents excessive stickiness, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and raw stickiness.
2Reliability
If polyphenylene ether resin is used as plasticizer, then tire grip and wear resistance are improved, but quantity of resin required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameter of the polyphenylene ether resin to achieve effective plasticizing with minimal quantity. By carefully controlling the resin content and its molecular parameters, the invention achieves improved tire grip and wear resistance without requiring excessive resin quantities.
3Strength
If micrometric particles of polyphenylene ether resin are used, then rigidity of compositions is increased, but hysteresis increases adversely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the particle size parameter and compatibility parameters of the polyphenylene ether resin to resolve this contradiction. By ensuring compatibility with the vinylaromatic diene elastomer and optimizing particle dimensions, the resin increases rigidity while minimizing adverse hysteresis effects through proper dispersion and interaction with the elastomer matrix.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a rubber composition based on at least one predominantly vinylaromatic diene elastomer, a reinforcing charge, a crosslinking system, and a thermoplastic resin comprising optionally substituted polyphenylene ether units, the resin being compatible with the vinylaromatic diene elastomer such that a mixture of the vinylaromatic diene elastomer and the resin produces a composition of which less than 10 % of the volume is in the form of particles of a size greater than 2 microns. The invention also concerns semi-finished tyres and tyres comprising this composition.