Segmented Rubber Microparticles for Tire Tread Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rubber compositions for tires fail to enhance tensile stress, tensile strength at break, and tensile elongation at break, despite the incorporation of three-dimensionally crosslinked microparticles, which are beneficial for ice and wear resistance but do not improve these critical mechanical properties.
Innovation Solution
A rubber composition that includes organic microparticles with a crosslinked structure, formed from copolymers with different segments and functional groups, blended with diene rubber, along with carbon black and/or white fillers, to enhance tensile properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If three-dimensionally crosslinked microparticles are blended in rubber compositions, then ice and wear resistance are enhanced, but tensile stress, tensile strength at break, and tensile elongation at break cannot be improved
Solution Approach 1:
The microparticle is segmented into multiple functional segments within its structure: a core segment providing mechanical strength, a crosslinked segment for ice resistance, and a surface-modified segment for wear resistance. This segmentation allows each segment to independently contribute to different performance requirements without compromising overall tensile properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The microparticle is constructed as a composite material combining multiple polymer components with different functions. The core uses high-strength polymers to maintain tensile properties, while the shell incorporates crosslinked structures and wear-resistant coatings, creating a multi-functional composite that simultaneously improves ice and wear resistance without sacrificing tensile strength.
2Reliability
If small JIS A hardness microparticles are used to enhance ice and wear resistance, then performance on ice and wear resistance improve, but tensile strength properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The microparticle structure employs a nested configuration where a hard core is embedded within a softer crosslinked matrix, which is further enclosed by a wear-resistant surface layer. This nested structure allows the inner hard core to provide tensile strength while the outer layers contribute to ice and wear resistance, resolving the contradiction between hardness and tensile strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the microparticle are assigned different mechanical properties: the core has high hardness for structural integrity, the intermediate layer has moderate crosslinking for ice resistance, and the surface layer has optimized softness for wear resistance. This local quality differentiation allows the microparticle to simultaneously satisfy conflicting requirements for hardness and tensile strength.
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 composition achieves superior tensile stress, tensile strength at break, and tensile elongation at break, comparable to or exceeding conventional levels, particularly when used in tire tread portions.
Implementation Method 1
the functional group forming a crosslinked structure between the at least two types of segments
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a rubber composition containing from 1 to 50 parts by mass of an organic microparticle having an average particle size of 0.001 to 100 μm and having a crosslinked structure per 100 parts by mass of a diene rubber, the organic microparticle being a crosslinked microparticle of a copolymer formed from at least two types of segments having repeating units that are different each other, the at least two types of segments being formed from an oligomer or prepolymer having a functional group and having a molecular weight of 500 to 20000, and the functional group forming a crosslinked structure between the at least two types of segments.