Tire Rubber Composition with Thermoplastic Resin for Ice Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires face challenges with high heat buildup, leading to reduced performance on ice and snow surfaces, despite existing techniques improving braking and driving performance on dry and wet roads.
Innovation Solution
A rubber composition is manufactured by kneading a mixture with 50% or more natural rubber, specific thermoplastic resins, silica filler, vulcanization accelerators, silane coupling agents, and a vulcanizing agent, with controlled kneading stages to enhance glass transition temperature and flexibility, reducing heat generation and improving ice and snow performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If resin content is increased to improve ice and snow performance, then gripping performance on icy and snowy surfaces is improved, but heat buildup increases leading to reduced performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the resin content parameter to a specific range (5-50 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of rubber component) to achieve the desired balance between ice/snow grip and heat generation. This parameter optimization allows the composition to exhibit appropriate viscoelastic properties at low temperatures for better gripping while controlling heat buildup during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite rubber composition combining multiple materials including natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, and thermoplastic resin in specific proportions. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit synergistic properties where the combination provides both the low-temperature gripping characteristics needed for ice and snow performance and the thermal management properties to control heat buildup.
2Reliability
If friction coefficient is increased to improve braking performance on wet surfaces, then braking performance is improved, but heat buildup increases leading to reduced ice performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the resin content parameter to a specific range (5-50 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of rubber component) to achieve the desired balance between ice/snow grip and heat generation. This parameter optimization allows the composition to exhibit appropriate viscoelastic properties at low temperatures for better gripping while controlling heat buildup during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite rubber composition combining multiple materials including natural rubber, polyisoprene rubber, and thermoplastic resin in specific proportions. This composite approach allows the material to exhibit synergistic properties where the combination provides both the low-temperature gripping characteristics needed for ice and snow performance and the thermal management properties to control heat buildup.
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 method results in a tire with lower heat generation and improved braking and steering stability on dry roads, along with enhanced ice and snow performance, as demonstrated by reduced heat buildup and improved traction on slippery surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a silane coupling agent (E)
Implementation Method 2
a vulcanizing agent (F)
Implementation Method 3
a kneading stage A for kneading the rubber component (A), the thermoplastic resin (B), the filler (C), part or all of the vulcanization accelerator (D), and 2 parts by mass or more of the silane coupling agent (E) per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure is to provide a method of manufacturing a rubber composition comprising kneading a rubber composition that includes 100 parts by mass (pbm) of a rubber component (A) including 50 mass % or more of natural rubber, 5-50 pbm of at least one kind of thermoplastic resin (B) selected from among C5-based resins, C5-C9-based resins, C9-based resins, terpene-based resins, terpene-aromatic compound-based resins, rosin-based resins, dicyclopentadiene resins, and alkylphenol-based resins; 20-120 pbm of a filler (C) including silica; at least one kind of vulcanization accelerator (D) selected from among guanidines, sulfenamides, thiazoles, thiourea and diethyl thiourea; a silane coupling agent (E); and a vulcanizing agent (F). The kneading comprises a kneading stage A for kneading components (A)-(C), part or all of component (D), and 2 pbm or more of component (E), and a kneading stage B for kneading component (F) with a kneaded product of the kneading stage A.