Process for treating a body of stainless steel so as to promote its adherence to a rubber composition

An article comprising a rubber/steel body composite comprising a rubber composition and a steel body, at least the surface of which comprises stainless steel, that adheres to a composition comprising at least one rubber, said composite being obtainable by a process comprising the steps of:

• activating the stainless steel surface of the body, said steel containing at least 0.02% and at most 0.2% carbon, at least 3% and at most 20% nickel, at least 12% and at most 28% chromium, the sum of the nickel and chromium being at least equal to 20% and at most equal to 35%, all of these percentages being by weight;
• the structure of the steel comprises at least 20% by volume of martensite and it is without austenite or contains less than 80% thereof by volume;
• treating the surface of the body with at least one starting silane such that the surface is covered with a film constituted exclusively, or substantially exclusively, of one or more silanes characterized by the following formula:
• ##STR2## in which R represents an organic radical containing at least one function capable of reacting with at least one element of the composition:
• each OR' represents a group capable of reacting with an oxide or hydroxide of the surface of the stainless steel;
• each R" represents, independently, hydrogen, a cyclic or acyclic organic radical, or a halogen;
• and a, which may be zero, is equal to at most 2;
• placing the treated surface of the body in direct contact with the composition;
• and
• curing the composition.