Tread Rubber Composition with Fatty Acid Amide for Abrasion Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty tire treads face challenges in achieving a balanced combination of abrasion resistance and other physical properties, particularly in mixed service conditions, where reducing rubber reinforcing carbon black content for lower hysteresis leads to reduced abrasion resistance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a fatty acid amide, such as stearamide, in combination with pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica, to enhance abrasion resistance without compromising other properties like heat durability and rolling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If rubber reinforcing carbon black content is reduced to lower hysteresis and improve heat durability, then abrasion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces fatty acid amide as an intermediary substance that mediates between the silica filler and the rubber matrix. This amide component facilitates improved interfacial adhesion and stress transfer, allowing the system to achieve both low hysteresis (through reduced carbon black) and high abrasion resistance (through enhanced silica-rubber interaction via the amide mediator).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite filler system combining pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica with fatty acid amide in a natural rubber matrix. This composite approach creates a synergistic effect where the hydrophobic silica and amide work together to provide both low rolling resistance (through reduced hysteresis) and high abrasion resistance, resolving the traditional trade-off between these properties.
2Reliability
If pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is used with fatty acid amide, then abrasion resistance improves while other physical properties are maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes specific parameters of the fatty acid amide component, including its chemical structure (amides of saturated or unsaturated monovalent or polyvalent amines), concentration (1-50 phr), and combination with pre-hydrophobated silica. These parameter optimizations enable the system to achieve superior abrasion resistance while maintaining processing feasibility and other physical properties, balancing performance improvement with compositional complexity.
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 addition of stearamide significantly improves abrasion resistance while maintaining other physical properties, as seen in reduced DIN abrasion values and Grosch abrasion rates, without sacrificing torque, tensile strength, or modulus.
Implementation Method 1
promote a relatively low hysteresis property for the tread rubber for promoting reduced internal heat buildup in the tread during tire service
Implementation Method 2
Preferably, the silica is in a form of pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica in a natural rubber based rubber composition
Data Source
AI summary
A rubber composition is disclosed for use in a tire tread, the rubber composition comprising, based on parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of elastomer (phr), (A) one or more conjugated diene-based elastomers comprising: (1) from 80 to 100 phr of a natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, and (2) from zero to 20 phr of at least one additional diene-based synthetic elastomer comprising cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber and styrene/butadiene rubber; (B) from 20 to 120 phr of a rubber reinforcing filler comprising a combination of silica and from 5 to 100 phr of a rubber reinforcing carbon black; and (C) from 1 to 50 phr of a fatty acid amide, where said fatty acid amide is of the general formula (I): where R1 is or comprises an alkyl hydrocarbon radical containing from 12 to 36 carbon atoms, an alkenyl hydrocarbon radical containing from 12 to 36 carbon atoms or an alkadiene hydrocarbon radical containing from 12 to 36 carbon atoms.