Rubber composition, method of adding and blending the composition and vehicle tire made from the composition

A vehicle tire comprising a rubber mixture that can be vulcanized with a vulcanizing agent, which comprises

• a) at least one rubber component,
• b) at least one filler having nucleophilic groups,
• c) as an additional filler, gel particles comprising a rubber, having a particle size between about 3×10−9 and about 1×10−6 m and a swelling index in toluene of about 1 to about 15 and whose surface has electrophilic centers,
• d) a substance acting as a coupling agent between the filler having nucleophilic groups and the additional filler, the substance acting as a couple agent having the following structure:
• X—R1—Si—(R2)3
• wherein
• X is a nucleophilic group,
• R1 is a branched, unbranched or cyclic alkyl group having up to about 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, and
• R2 may be the same as or different from each other and from R1 and is a branched, unbranched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group having up to 6 carbon atoms and at least one of R2 is an alkoxy group.

A method of formulating a composition, which comprises:

• forming a mixture comprising a filler and at least one rubber component and mixing;
• adding to the mixture gel particles comprising a rubber, having a particle size between about 3×10−9 and about 1×10−6 m and a swelling index in toluene of about 1 to about 15 and whose surface has electrophilic centers, and mixing;
• adding to the mixture at least one filler having nucleophilic groups and mixing;
• and
• adding to the mixture a substance acting as a coupling agent between the filler having nucleophilic groups and the additional filler wherein the substance acting as a coupling agent has the following structure:
• X—R1—Si—(R2)3
• wherein
• X is a nucleophilic group,
• R1 is a branched, unbranched or cyclic alkyl group having up to 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, and
• R2 may be the same as or different from each other and from R1 and is a branched, unbranched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group having up to 6 carbon atoms and at least one of R2 is an alkoxy group and mixing;
• thereby forming a base mixture to which vulcanizing constituents are added.

A pneumatic tire comprising a rubber mixture that can be vulcanized with a vulcanizing agent, which comprises

• a) at least one rubber component,
• b) at least one filler having nucleophilic groups,
• c) as an additional filler, gel particles comprising a rubber, having a particle size between about 3×10−9 and about 1×10−6 m and a swelling index in toluene of about 1 to about 15 and whose surface has electrophilic centers,
• d) a substance acting as a coupling agent between the filler having nucleophilic groups and the additional filler, the substance acting as a couple agent having the following structure:
• X—R1—Si—(R2)3
• wherein
• X is a nucleophilic group,
• R1 is a branched, unbranched or cyclic alkyl group having up to about 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, and
• R2 may be the same as or different from each other and from R1 and is a branched, unbranched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group having up to 6 carbon atoms and at least one of R2 is an alkoxy group.

A composition comprising a rubber mixture that can be vulcanized with a vulcanizing agent, which comprises

• a) at least one rubber component,
• b) at least one filler having nucleophilic groups,
• c) as an additional filler, gel particles consisting essentially of a rubber, having a particle size between about 3×10−9 and about 1×10−6 m and a swelling index in toluene of about 1 to about 15 and whose surface has electrophilic centers,
• d) a substance acting as a coupling agent between the filler having nucleophilic groups and the additional filler, the substance acting as a coupling agent having the following structure:
• X—R1—Si—(R2)3
• wherein
• X is a nucleophilic group,
• R1 is an alkyl group having up to about 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, and
• R2 may be the same as or different from each other and from R1 and is an alkyl or alkoxy group having up to 6 carbon atoms and at least one of R2 is an alkoxy group.