Sulfur-Crosslinkable Rubber Mixture for Tire Treads
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rubber mixtures for vehicle tires face challenges in achieving high rigidity without adversely affecting rolling resistance and wet grip, while also requiring improved abrasion resistance, as optimizing one tire characteristic often deteriorates another.
Innovation Solution
A rubber mixture comprising diene rubber, silica, and a specific silane with a polar organic urea-containing group, which enhances rigidity and processability, maintains rolling resistance and wet grip indicators, and reduces vulcanization times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the network node density of the vulcanized rubber mixture is increased to improve handling behavior, then the rigidity is improved, but the tear properties and wet grip indicators deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by introducing a specific silane coupling agent with formula (I) containing a polar organic urea-containing group, which modifies the network formation mechanism. This allows achieving the desired rigidity through controlled crosslinking density and network structure rather than simply increasing network node density, thus improving handling behavior while preserving tear properties and wet grip indicators
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite material system by combining diene rubber with silica filler and a specific silane coupling agent. The silane acts as an intermediary that forms a composite network structure where the polar organic urea-containing group enables optimal bonding between silica and rubber matrix, achieving enhanced rigidity and handling behavior while maintaining the integrity and flexibility needed for good tear resistance and wet grip performance
2Strength
If the degree of filling is increased to improve handling behavior, then the rigidity is improved, but the rolling resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the filler content parameter by using a specific silane coupling agent that enhances the efficiency of silica-rubber interaction. This allows achieving the desired rigidity with optimized filler loading rather than simply increasing the degree of filling, thereby improving handling behavior while minimizing the increase in rolling resistance through more effective filler utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The silane coupling agent with polar organic urea-containing group acts as an intermediary substance that improves the interfacial adhesion between silica filler and rubber matrix. This mediator enables efficient stress transfer and network formation at lower filler concentrations, achieving the desired rigidity and handling behavior without the penalty of excessive rolling resistance that would result from simply increasing filler content
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 mixture achieves higher stiffness with improved handling and abrasion resistance, maintaining the trade-off between rolling resistance and wet grip, and offers cost savings through reduced vulcanization times.
Implementation Method 1
the silane with the polar organic urea-containing group, which enhances rigidity and processability, maintains rolling resistance and wet grip indicators
Implementation Method 2
If the silica is bonded to the polymer (s) using silane coupling agents
Implementation Method 3
sulfur-crosslinkable rubber mixture
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a sulfur-crosslinkable rubber mixture, in particular for treads of vehicle tires, and to a vehicle tire. The rubber mixture contains at least the following components: at least one diene rubber and 10 to 200 phr of at least one silicic acid and 2 to 20 phf of at least one silane having general empirical formula I) [(R1)3Si-X]mSn(R2)2-m, wherein the residues R1 within a molecule can be the same or different and are alkoxy groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or cyclic dialkoxy groups having 2 to 10 carbon atoms or cycloalkoxy groups having 4 to 10 carbon atoms or phenoxy groups or aryl groups having 6 to 20 carbon atoms or alkyl groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or alkenyl groups having 2 to 20 carbon atoms or aralkyl groups having 7 to 20 carbon atoms or halides and wherein X is a polar organic group containing urea and wherein m assumes the value 1 or 2 and wherein n is an integer from 1 to 8 and wherein R2 is a hydrogen atom or an acyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms.