Renewable Tire Rubber Composition Without Performance Trade-Offs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tire rubber compositions derived from fossil fuel sources face challenges in replicating the performance of conventional materials, leading to environmental concerns and sustainability issues, as they emit contaminants and compromise on performance when using bio-derived alternatives.
Innovation Solution
A tire rubber composition comprising a majority weight percent of renewable materials, including a blend of mass-balanced rubber elastomers, bio-derived plasticizers, and fillers such as silica and carbon black derived from bio-based feedstocks, which maintains or improves performance metrics like tread wear, wet traction, and rolling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fossil fuel-derived materials are used in tire rubber compositions, then performance requirements are met, but environmental harm increases due to emissions of organics, sulfur compounds, and carbon monoxide
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the rubber compound by replacing petroleum-derived plasticizing oil with bio-derived alternatives (vegetable oils, animal fats, esters) and petroleum-derived resins with bio-based resins. This substitution maintains the functional parameters (plasticity, flexibility) while changing the source material from fossil fuel to renewable biomass, thereby reducing environmental harm without sacrificing tire performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining multiple bio-derived components: bio-based elastomers (natural rubber, synthetic polyisoprene), bio-derived plasticizers (vegetable oils, esters), bio-based resins (coumarone-indene, C5, C9), and traditional fillers (silica, carbon black). This composite approach allows the synergistic combination of renewable materials to achieve the complex performance requirements of tire rubber while eliminating fossil fuel dependencies
2Object-affected harmful factors
If bio-derived alternative materials are used to replace petroleum-derived materials, then environmental sustainability improves, but rubber performance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully adjusts the quantitative parameters of each bio-derived component to optimize performance. Specifically, it uses 5-50 phr of bio-derived plasticizer, 1-20 phr of bio-based resin, and maintains specific ratios of elastomers and fillers. These parameter optimizations ensure that the bio-based compound achieves comparable or superior performance metrics (traction, wear resistance, rolling resistance) while maintaining environmental sustainability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a multi-component composite formulation that combines bio-based elastomers (70-95 phr), bio-derived plasticizers (5-50 phr), bio-based resins (1-20 phr), silica (20-80 phr), and carbon black (1-20 phr). This composite structure leverages the complementary strengths of each component to achieve balanced performance across multiple critical properties, overcoming the limitations of single bio-derived materials
3Quantity of substance
If multiple bio-derived materials are combined in rubber compounds, then renewable content increases, but material compatibility and performance prediction become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes specific quantitative ranges for each component to manage composition complexity: 70-95 phr bio-based elastomer, 5-50 phr bio-derived plasticizer, 1-20 phr bio-based resin, 20-80 phr silica, and 1-20 phr carbon black. These defined parameters provide a systematic framework that simplifies formulation while maximizing renewable content, making the complex multi-component system manageable and scalable
Data Source
AI summary
A tire component formed from or comprising a rubber composition comprising a majority weight percent of renewable materials is disclosed. The rubber composition comprises, based on 100 parts per weight (phr) of elastomer: a blend of at least two different rubber elastomers, greater than 50 phr of at least one of said least two rubber elastomers being a mass balanced polymer; at least one bio-derived plasticizer; and a bio-derived filler system comprising silica and carbon black, wherein said carbon black filler is at least partially derived from a bio-based feedstock prior to its addition to the rubber composition.