Rubber blends containing at least one functionalized synthetic rubber and at least one ethoxylated alcohol
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rubber mixtures for tire production face challenges in achieving low rolling resistance, high hardness/stiffness, and adequate scorch time while maintaining good mechanical properties, leading to increased abrasion and environmental microplastic pollution.
Innovation Solution
A rubber mixture comprising functionalized synthetic rubbers, hydroxyl-containing oxidic fillers, ethoxylated compounds, and specific additives, which are mixed and vulcanized to achieve low loss factor tan δ, improved 300 modulus, and extended scorch time, while maintaining hardness and elongation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If silica-containing rubber mixtures are used to achieve good rolling resistance and wet grip, then the dispersion and coupling of silica must be improved, but this increases the complexity of the mixture formulation and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs silane-modified polyethylene glycol as an intermediary coupling agent between silica filler and the rubber matrix. This intermediary substance facilitates efficient silica dispersion and coupling without requiring complex mixture formulations or additional processing steps, thereby reducing rolling resistance while maintaining formulation simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If fatty acid esters, fatty acid salts or mineral oils are added to improve processability of silica-containing mixtures, then flowability increases, but hardness and stress values at higher elongation decrease, adversely affecting the reinforcing effect
Solution Approach 1:
The silane-modified polyethylene glycol acts as a mediator that improves silica dispersion and coupling efficiency, enabling good processability without the need to add fatty acid esters, salts, or mineral oils. This maintains both the reinforcing effect (hardness and stress values) and processability of the rubber mixture.
3Loss of energy
If organosilicon polysulfides are added to reduce rolling resistance, then loss factor decreases, but scorch time is drastically reduced, compromising processing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The silane-modified polyethylene glycol serves as a coupling intermediary that reduces the loss factor (improving rolling resistance) without acting as a premature vulcanization catalyst. This maintains adequate scorch time and processing reliability, unlike organosilicon polysulfides which drastically reduce scorch time.
4Loss of energy
If 1,6-bis(N,N-dibenzylthiocarbamoyldithio)hexane and sulfur-containing additives are used to achieve good dynamic characteristics and hardness, then rolling resistance and abrasion improve, but scorch time is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The silane-modified polyethylene glycol functions as a coupling agent that improves dynamic characteristics and rolling resistance through efficient silica-rubber coupling, while maintaining adequate scorch time. This contrasts with sulfur-containing additives that achieve similar dynamic properties but significantly reduce scorch time, compromising processing reliability.
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 rubber mixtures result in vulcanizates with reduced rolling resistance, improved mechanical properties, and extended vulcanization times, contributing to lower tire abrasion and reduced environmental microplastic generation.
Implementation Method 1
the silica must be efficiently dispersed in the rubber mixture and optimally coupled to the rubber matrix in the vulcanization
Implementation Method 2
rubber mixtures containing at least one functionalized synthetic rubber and at least one ethoxylated compound of formula (I), to processes for the production thereof, to the use thereof for producing rubber vulcanizates
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to rubber mixtures containing, in addition to fillers and crosslinkers, 50 to 100 phr of at least one functionalized synthetic rubber and 0.5 to 20 phr of the at least one ethoxylated compound of formula (I) RO(CH2CH2O)xH (I), wherein R represents alkyl, wherein alkyl may be branched or unbranched, and x represents a rational number from 1 to 25, suitable for producing vulcanizates having a low rolling resistance.