Rubber Compositions Containing Phloroglucinolic Resins for Use in Tire Treads of Heavy Vehicles

Abstract

A silane-based additive, rubber formulations including the additive and tires having tread portions made with the additive, together with methods of forming those products, are provided. Uncured rubber formulations in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention comprise (1) a rubbery primary polymer or polymer blend, such as natural rubber and/or synthetic rubber; (2) reinforcing silica filler; (3) methylene donor compound; (4) a silane containing one or more moieties of the aforementioned network forming polymer. And (5) phloroglucinol resin. In particular networks which can be generated in-situ are preferred. The cured rubber formulation should comprise the silica, having the load-bearing-path reinforcing interpenetrating polymer network coupled thereto, within the rubber matrix, and not directly to the rubber chains via sulfidic linkages.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.