# US 2018/0022904 A1 · Tire with rubber tread containing a combination of styrene/butadiene elastomers and traction resins and pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica reinforcement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0022904 A1 - Document ID: US20180022904A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/623,417 - Filed: 2017-06-15 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-19 - Assignees: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Applicants: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Inventors: Renee Marie Weber; Paul Harry Sandstrom; Matthew James Ritter; Paul Joseph Endres - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180022904A1 ## CPC - C08L 9/06: Copolymers with styrene - B60C 1/0016: {Compositions of the tread} - C08L 2205/025: containing two or more polymers of the same hierarchy C08L, and differing only in parameters such as density, comonomer content, molecular weight, structure - C08L 2205/035: containing four or more polymers in a blend - C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06) - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES ## Abstract The invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a circumferential tread composition which contains a unique combination of styrene/butadiene elastomers, both solution and emulsion prepared, a plurality of traction promoting resins and reinforcing filler which contains a specific combination of a selected carbon black and a pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pneumatic tire is provided having an outer circumferential tread with a tread running surface where said tread is a rubber composition comprised of, based on parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber (phr), (A) conjugated diene-based elastomers comprised of: (1) about 20 to about 70 phr of a solution polymerization prepared styrene/butadiene elastomer (S-SBR-A) having a styrene content in a range of from about 35 to about 45 percent and a Tg in a range of from about −30° C. to about −50° C., (2) about 20 to about 60 phr of a solution polymerization prepared styrene/butadiene elastomer (S-SBR-B) having a styrene content in a range of from about 35 to about 45 percent and a Tg in a range of from about −3° C. to about −23° C., and (3) about 5 to about 30 phr of an aqueous emulsion polymerization prepared styrene/butadiene elastomer (E-SBR) having a styrene content in a range of from about 35 to about 45 percent and a Tg in a range of from about −30° C. to about −50° C., wherein said Tg's of said S-SBR-A, S-SBR-B and E-SBR are spaced apart from each other by at least about 4° C.; (B) about 8 to about 30 phr of from about 3 to about 5 traction promoting resins individually present in a range of from about 0.5 to about 15 phr, selected from: (1) polyester phthalate resin, having a softening point in a range of from about 20° C. to about 26° C., (2) styrene/alphamethyl styrene resin, having a softening point in a range of from about 80° C. to about 90° C., (3) gum rosin, having a softening point in a range of from about 70° C. to about 100° C., desirably about 80° C. to about 90° C., (4) coumarone indene resin, having a softening point in a range of from about 90° C. to about 120° C., and alternately (5) alkylphenol acetylene resin having a softening point in a range of from about 130° C. to about 150° C.; (C) about 50 to about 130 phr of rubber reinforcing filler comprised of rubber reinforcing carbon black and pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica containing from about 40 to about 100 phr of said rubber reinforcing carbon back, wherein the weight ratio of said rubber reinforcing carbon black to said precipitated silica is at least about 70/30, wherein said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with at least one of alkoxyorganomercaptosilane and bis(3-trialkoxysilylorgano) polysulfide containing an average of from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said Tg's of said S-SBR-A and S-SBR-B are spaced apart from each other by at least about 10° C. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said S-SBR-A has a vinyl content in a range of from about 10 to about 20 percent, said S-SBR-B has a vinyl content in a range of from about 35 to about 45 percent and said E-SBR has a vinyl content in a range of from about 10 to about 20 percent, based on the butadiene portion of the SBRs. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said traction resins are comprised of said polyester phthalate resin, styrene/alphamethyl styrene resin, gum rosin and coumarone indene resin. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The tire of claim 4 where said traction resins further comprise said alkylphenol acetylene resin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said rubber reinforcing carbon black has a DBP (dibutyl phthalate) absorption value (ASTM D 2414) of from about 125 to about 150 cc/100 g in combination with an Iodine value (ASTM D1510) in a range of from about 190 to about 230 g/kg. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with an alkoxyorganomercaptosilane. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with a bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide containing an average from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 wherein said tread rubber composition further contains a silica coupler comprised of a bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide containing an average from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 where said tread rubber composition further contains precipitated silica which is not a pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The tire of claim 10 wherein said tread rubber composition further contains a silica coupler comprised of a bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide containing an average from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 where, for said tread rubber composition: (A) said traction resins are comprised of said polyester phthalate resin, styrene/alphamethyl styrene resin, gum rosin and coumarone indene resin, (B) said rubber reinforcing carbon black has a DBP (dibutyl phthalate) absorption value (ASTM D 2414) of from about 125 to about 150 cc/100 g in combination with an Iodine value (ASTM D1510) in a range of from about 190 to about 230 g/kg, and (C) said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with an alkoxyorganomercaptosilane. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The tire of claim 12 wherein said traction resins further comprise said alkylphenol acetylene resin. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 where, for said tread rubber composition: (A) said traction resins are comprised of said polyester phthalate resin, styrene/alphamethyl styrene resin, gum rosin and coumarone indene resin, (B) said rubber reinforcing carbon black has a DBP (dibutyl phthalate) absorption value (ASTM D 2414) of from about 125 to about 150 cc/100 g in combination with an Iodine value (ASTM D1510) in a range of from about 190 to about 230 g/kg, (C) said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with an alkoxyorganomercaptosilane, and (D) said rubber composition further contains a silica coupler comprised of a bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide containing an average from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The tire of claim 14 wherein said traction resins further comprise said alkylphenol acetylene resin. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 where, for said tread rubber composition: (A) said traction resins are comprised of said polyester phthalate resin, styrene/alphamethyl styrene resin, gum rosin and coumarone indene resin, (B) said rubber reinforcing carbon black has a DBP (dibutyl phthalate) absorption value (ASTM D 2414) of from about 125 to about 150 cc/100 g in combination with an Iodine value (ASTM D1510) in a range of from about 190 to about 230 g/kg, (C) said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with an alkoxyorganomercaptosilane, and (D) said rubber composition further contains precipitated silica which is not a pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The tire of claim 16 wherein said traction resins further comprise said alkylphenol acetylene resin. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The tire of claim 1 where, for said tread rubber composition: (A) said traction resins are comprised of said polyester phthalate resin, styrene/alphamethyl styrene resin, gum rosin and coumarone indene resin, (B) said rubber reinforcing carbon black has a DBP (dibutyl phthalate) absorption value (ASTM D 2414) of from about 125 to about 150 cc/100 g in combination with an Iodine value (ASTM D1510) in a range of from about 190 to about 230 g/kg, (C) said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica is a precipitated silica treated with an alkoxyorganomercaptosilane, (D) said rubber composition further contains a silica coupler comprised of a bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide containing an average from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge, and (E) said rubber composition further contains precipitated silica which is not a pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The tire of claim 18 wherein said traction resins further comprise said alkylphenol acetylene resin. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The tire of claim 12 wherein said Tg's of said S-SBR-A and S-SBR-B are spaced apart from each other by at least about 10° C.