Vinyl Silane Coupling for Tire Tread Rubber Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional silane coupling agents used in tire tread rubber compositions containing sulfide groups cause scorching at high temperatures, leading to poor processability and uneven dispersion of reinforcing fillers, which affects mechanical and rolling resistance characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A rubber composition using a silane compound with vinyl groups, such as vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)silane, is introduced to enhance dispersion and prevent scorching, allowing for improved processability and mechanical properties by uniformly dispersing reinforcing fillers like silica or carbon black.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional silane coupling agents containing sulfide groups are used, then silica can be mixed with rubber, but scorching occurs at high temperatures and processability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the silane coupling agent by replacing sulfide groups with vinyl groups. This parameter change maintains the ability to modify silica's polar nature while eliminating the harmful scorching effect at high temperatures, thus resolving the contradiction between miscibility and processability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a vinyl-group-containing silane coupling agent that does not cause scorching, effectively replacing the conventional sulfide-containing agents. This substitution eliminates the need to deal with scorching-related defects and rework, improving overall manufacturing ease despite the chemical composition change
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional silane coupling agents containing sulfide groups are used, then silica can be mixed with rubber, but uniform dispersion of reinforcing fillers is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical structure of the silane coupling agent from sulfide-containing to vinyl-group-containing. This parameter change improves the uniformity of filler dispersion by preventing scorching-related aggregation and ensuring more homogeneous distribution of silica throughout the rubber matrix
3Loss of energy
If silica is used in tire tread rubber to decrease rolling resistance, then fuel consumption decreases, but dispersibility and processability deteriorate due to silica's hydrophilicity and polarity
Solution Approach 1:
The vinyl-group-containing silane coupling agent acts as an intermediary between hydrophilic silica and non-polar rubber. It reacts with silanol groups on silica surface to modify its polar nature, creating a bridge that improves dispersibility while maintaining the energy-saving benefits of silica reinforcement
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the surface chemical parameters of silica by using vinyl-group-containing silane coupling agents. This modification reduces the polar nature of silica surface, improving its dispersibility in non-polar rubber while maintaining the low rolling resistance characteristics
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 use of vinyl-group-containing silane compounds enables uniform filler dispersion, enhancing processability, mechanical characteristics, abrasion resistance, and rolling resistance, resulting in improved tire performance and fuel efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a silane coupling agent plays the role of reacting with a silanol group of silica and changes the polar nature, which is a surface chemical characteristic of silica, to a non-polar nature
Implementation Method 2
since the silane coupling agents that have been conventionally used contain sulfide groups, there is a problem that scorching frequently occurs at a temperature of 150° C. or higher
Implementation Method 3
there is a problem that scorching frequently occurs at a temperature of 150° C. or higher, and processability is deteriorated
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a rubber composition for tire tread containing 100 parts by weight of raw material rubber, 10 parts to 100 parts by weight of a reinforcing filler, and 1 part to 20 parts by weight of a silane compound represented by the following formula (1), the raw material rubber containing 40 parts to 90 parts by weight of a styrene-butadiene rubber and 10 parts to 60 parts by weight of a butadiene rubber; and a tire produced using the rubber composition. The rubber composition for tire tread exhibit improved dispersibility, processability, mechanical characteristics, abrasion resistance performance, and rolling resistance characteristics.wherein X represents a vinyl group; Y represents an alkoxy group; Z represents an alkoxy group; a represents an integer from 0 to 6; b and c each independently represent an integer from 0 to 2 and do not necessarily represent 0 at the same time; and x represents an integer from 1 to 3.