Tire Puncture Sealant Injectability and Coagulation Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional tire puncture sealants face challenges with clogging in air valves at high temperatures and reduced fluidity at low temperatures, affecting their injectability and sealing performance.

Innovation Solution

A tire puncture sealant formulation incorporating natural rubber latex, propylene glycol, and a nonionic surfactant such as polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether or polyoxyalkylene alkenyl ether, with specific concentrations and structures to enhance injectability at high temperatures while maintaining sealing performance and storability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the concentration of propylene glycol is increased to improve low-temperature fluidity, then the puncture sealant can be used at lower temperatures, but the puncture sealant may coagulate in the air valve at high temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature rangeVSAvoidcoagulation in air valve
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A nonionic surfactant is introduced as an intermediary substance to modify the surface properties of the puncture sealant. This surfactant acts as a mediator between the propylene glycol and the rubber particles, preventing direct interaction that would cause coagulation while maintaining the fluidity-enhancing effect of the propylene glycol across a wide temperature range

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the chemical parameters of the puncture sealant by adding a nonionic surfactant with specific molecular structure and properties. This parameter change modifies the surface tension and interfacial properties of the sealant, enabling it to maintain stability and fluidity from -30°C to high temperatures without coagulation in the air valve

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If the amount of solid components is reduced to improve fluidity, then the injectability improves, but the puncture sealing performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveinjectabilityVSAvoidpuncture sealing performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The nonionic surfactant serves as an intermediary that enhances the wetting and adhesion properties of the puncture sealant. This allows the sealant to maintain excellent puncture sealing performance even with reduced solid content, as the surfactant compensates for the lower concentration of rubber particles by improving their distribution and bonding efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If natural rubber latex and ethylene glycol are used as base and antifreezing agent, then the puncture sealant provides good sealing performance, but creaming occurs in long time storage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidstorage stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by replacing ethylene glycol with propylene glycol and adding a nonionic surfactant. This parameter modification prevents creaming during long-term storage while preserving the sealing performance, as the new formulation maintains better colloidal stability and prevents phase separation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2269812B1Puncture sealant
Publication Date: 2018.08.15 SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD

AI summary

The present invention provides a tire puncture sealant which has a reduced viscosity at low temperatures and better injectability at low temperatures while exerting excellent initial sealing performance and storage stability. The present invention also provides a tire puncture sealant which further has better injectability at high temperatures while exerting the seal retention performance. The present invention relates to a tire puncture sealant including: a natural rubber latex; a tackifier; and propylene glycol, wherein the amount of the propylene glycol in 100% by mass of a liquid portion of the puncture sealant is 55% by mass or more, and also relates to a tire puncture sealant including: a natural rubber latex; a tackifier; propylene glycol; and a nonionic surfactant, wherein the nonionic surfactant is a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether and/or a polyoxyalkylene alkenyl ether.