Rubber compositions containing non-sulfur silica coupling agents bound to diene rubbers
AssigneeBridgestone Corporation
InventorsWilliam L. Hergenrother, Chenchy J. Lin, Yaohong Chen
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Abstract
The invention provides vulcanizable rubber compound having improved tensile mechanical and dynamic viscoelastic properties. The compounds are formed by mixing an elastomer, containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure, with a reinforcing inorganic filler silica in the presence of an alkyl alkoxysilane and a non-sulfur coupling agent that binds to the rubber backbone with an “ene” linkage or a 1,3 dipolar addition linkage. In particular, the coupling agent and the alkyl alkoxysilane are present in the compound in a weight ratio of about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1.
Claims20
1. A method for making a vulcanizable rubber composition comprising mixing:
- (a) an elastomer containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure;
- (b) a reinforcing inorganic filler, carbon black, or a mixture of the inorganic filler with carbon black;
- (c) a coupling agent comprising an alkoxysilane moiety that binds to the inorganic filler and a non-sulfur moiety that reacts with the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds of the elastomer to bind the coupling agent to the elastomer;
- (d) an alkyl alkoxysilane, wherein the weight ratio of the coupling agent to the alkyl alkoxysilane is about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1;
- and
- (e) a cure agent;
- wherein the non-sulfur moiety that reacts with the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds of the elastomer to bind the coupling agent to the elastomer is:
- —N(C═O)2N═N, (i)
- —N(C═O)2CH═CR1, (ii)
- —NH(C═O)N═N(C═O)OR1, (iii)
- —(C═O)N═N(C═O)OR1, (iv)
- —O(C═O)N═N(C═O)OR1, (v)
- —C═N+→(O)−—R2, (vi)
- —C≡N+→N−—R2, (vii)
- —C≡N+→O−, and mixtures thereof. (viii)
- wherein R1 is C1 to C4 alkyl.
A method for making a pneumatic tire comprising a rubber component produced from a vulcanized rubber composition comprising:
- mixing:
- an elastomer containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure;
- a reinforcing inorganic filler, carbon black, or a mixture of the inorganic filler with carbon black;
- a coupling agent comprising an alkoxysilane moiety that binds to the inorganic filler and a non-sulfur moiety that reacts with the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds of the elastomer to bind the coupling agent to the elastomer;
- an alkyl alkoxysilane, wherein the weight ratio of the coupling agent to the alkyl alkoxysilane is about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1;
- and
- a cure agent;
- wherein the non-sulfur moiety that reacts with the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds of the elastomer to bind the coupling agent to the elastomer is:
- —N(C═O)2N═N, (i)
- —N(C═O)2CH═CR1, (ii)
- —NH(C═O)N═N(C═O)OR1, (iii)
- —(C═O)N═N(C═O)OR1, (iv)
- —O(C═O)N═N(C═O)OR1, (v)
- —C═N+→(O)−—R2, (vi)
- —C≡N+→N−—R2, (vii)
- —C≡N+→O−, and mixtures thereof. (viii)
- wherein R1 is Ci to C4 alkyl;
- vulcanizing the mixture and forming a rubber component for the pneumatic tire.
A method for making a vulcanizable rubber composition comprising mixing:
- (a) an elastomer containing unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in its molecular structure;
- (b) a reinforcing inorganic filler, carbon black, or a mixture of the inorganic filler with carbon black;
- (c) a coupling agent comprising an alkoxysilane moiety that binds to the inorganic filler and a non-sulfur moiety that reacts with the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds of the elastomer to bind the coupling agent to the elastomer;
- (d) an alkyl alkoxysilane, wherein the weight ratio of the coupling agent to the alkyl alkoxysilane is about 0.20:1 to about 1:1;
- and
- (e) a cure agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.