Tire Sealant Stability via Density Matching

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional tire puncture sealants face issues with separation and storage stability, particularly when high amounts of surfactants are used, leading to foaming and degradation in performance.

Innovation Solution

A tire puncture sealant composition comprising a latex or emulsion with 20-65% solids by mass, an anti-freezing agent, and a specific gravity difference within ±0.1 between the solids and the water-anti-freezing agent mixture, which omits or reduces surfactants to prevent separation and maintain dispersion, using natural rubber latex and synthetic resin emulsions to achieve superior storage stability and sealing performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If large amounts of surfactant are added to prevent separation of the tire puncture sealant, then the sealant maintains dispersion stability, but the sealant foams after use and post-treatment is impeded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedispersion stabilityVSAvoidfoaming
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes surfactants entirely from the sealant formulation, extracting the harmful component that causes foaming while maintaining dispersion stability through alternative means (specific gravity matching between solids and liquid phase).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical parameter of specific gravity to achieve stability. By formulating the sealant so that the specific gravity of solids matches that of the liquid phase within ±0.05, the system achieves dispersion stability without requiring surfactants, thereby eliminating foaming issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Stability of the object's composition

If high amounts of surfactant are used to maintain sealant homogeneity, then separation is prevented, but storage stability deteriorates due to foaming and degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovehomogeneityVSAvoidstorage stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts surfactants from the formulation entirely, replacing their homogeneity-maintaining function with a specific gravity matching approach that does not compromise storage stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the formulation parameters to achieve specific gravity matching between solids and liquid phase, which maintains homogeneity during storage without the degradation and foaming problems associated with surfactant-based solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the amount of solids is increased to improve sealing performance, then sealing effectiveness is enhanced, but the specific gravity balance is disrupted causing separation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidseparation resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the specific gravity parameter of the solids component to match the liquid phase, allowing increased solids content for better sealing performance while maintaining separation resistance through gravitational equilibrium.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution provides a tire puncture sealant with enhanced storage stability and sealing performance, preventing separation and foaming, while maintaining the dispersibility of polymer microparticles, thus ensuring effective sealing without the need for high surfactant amounts.

Implementation Method 1

a tire puncture sealant containing a latex and/or an emulsion and an anti-freezing agent

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFreezing point depression:

Implementation Method 2

the difference between the specific gravity of the solids and the specific gravity of a mixture of water and anti-freezing agent in the tire puncture sealant being within ±0.1

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDensity equilibrium:

Data Source

PatentUS9771503B2Flat tire sealing material
Publication Date: 2017.09.26 THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO LTD

AI summary

A tire puncture sealant according to the present technology is a tire puncture sealant containing a latex and/or an emulsion and an anti-freezing agent, the latex and/or emulsion containing, as solids, at least a polymer and/or an organic compound (other than the polymer), a content of solids being from 20 to 65% by mass with respect to the total mass of the sealant, and the difference between the specific gravity of the solids and the specific gravity of a mixture of water and anti-freezing agent in the tire puncture sealant being within ±0.1.