Tire Tread Elastomer with Vegetable Oil for Heat Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire tread rubber compositions with styrene/butadiene elastomers face challenges in achieving optimal energy absorption and heat management, particularly at lower temperatures, due to high molecular weight content and lack of effective reinforcement, leading to increased hysteresis and internal heat generation.
Innovation Solution
A tire tread composition using a specialized styrene/butadiene elastomer with limited low molecular weight content and reinforced with carbon black, combined with freely added triglyceride vegetable oil, such as soybean oil, to reduce rubber stiffness and enhance energy absorption and heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a conventional styrene/butadiene elastomer with high molecular weight content is used in the rubber composition, then the rubber provides adequate structural integrity and strength, but it generates excessive internal heat and exhibits high hysteresis during dynamic use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the molecular weight distribution of the styrene/butadiene elastomer, specifically limiting the low molecular weight content to maximum 6% of weight average molecular weight. This parameter control reduces hysteresis and internal heat generation while maintaining adequate structural integrity through the optimized molecular weight profile.
2Temperature
If triglyceride vegetable oil is freely added to the rubber composition, then the rubber stiffness is reduced at lower temperatures improving cold weather performance, but the processing complexity and formulation precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by specifying precise formulation parameters for the triglyceride vegetable oil content (10-50 phr) and its interaction with the specialized styrene/butadiene elastomer. This controlled parameter approach reduces rubber stiffness at lower temperatures while maintaining manufacturability through defined formulation ranges.
3Ease of manufacture
If carbon black reinforcement is used without precipitated silica, then the rubber composition achieves adequate treadwear resistance and processing ease, but it lacks the wet traction performance enhancement provided by silica reinforcement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the carbon black reinforcement level (40-150 phr) and controlling the molecular weight profile of the elastomer to achieve a balance between processing ease and wet traction performance without requiring precipitated silica. The specialized molecular weight distribution enhances the effectiveness of carbon black reinforcement.
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 tire tread composition exhibits improved predictive cold weather performance, reduced hysteresis, and enhanced treadwear resistance, while maintaining wet traction performance, by incorporating the specialized styrene/butadiene elastomer with reduced low molecular weight content and vegetable oil, which aids in energy absorption and heat management.
Implementation Method 1
the presence of a significantly low molecular weight content in a styrene/butadiene elastomer can promote absorbing greater energy within the elastomer
Implementation Method 2
Such energy absorption may thereby contribute to promoting a higher hysteresis of the cured rubber composition, as may be evidenced by one or more of its rebound and tangent delta physical properties, and thereby promote higher heat generation within the rubber composition
Implementation Method 3
said specialized styrene/butadiene elastomer has a molecular weight profile restricted to having a low molecular weight content limited to a maximum of about six, alternately up to about 5.5, percent of weight average molecular weight (Mw) of up to 150,000
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a tire having a tread of carbon black reinforced rubber composition containing a specialized styrene/butadiene elastomer with molecular weight profile containing a limited low molecular weight content and triglyceride vegetable oil.