Rubber Member, Tire, and Method of Manufacturing Rubber Member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023191852-A1
Application number	US-202318113006-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 22, 2023
Priority date	May 2, 2016
Publication date	Jun 22, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a rubber member includes forming a mask on which pattern structures are arranged at a constant pitch, arranging the mask on a substrate of a mold made of a metal or a semiconductor material and etching the substrate. The method further includes adhering unvulcanized rubber to the substrate, vulcanizing the unvulcanized rubber to form vulcanized rubber, and transferring a fine ridged/grooved structure to a surface of the vulcanized rubber. The fine ridged/grooved structure is formed on at least a part of the surface of the vulcanized rubber as the rubber member, the fine ridged/grooved structure having fine ridged/grooved portions arranged at the constant pitch. A region in which the fine ridged/grooved structure is provided is visually recognizable by a structural color different from colors of other regions.

First claim

1 - 6 . (canceled)

7 . A method of manufacturing the rubber member, said rubber member being comprised of a ridged or grooved structure on at least a part of a surface of the rubber member, and having ridged or grooved portions arranged at a constant arrangement pitch, each of the ridged or grooved portions having a same length and width when viewed in plan view, a region in which the ridged or grooved structure is provided being visually recognizable by a structural color different from colors of other regions, the method comprising:
forming a mask having a pattern structure of the ridged or grooved portions arranged at the constant arrangement pitch; arranging the mask on a substrate made of a metal or a semiconductor material and etching the substrate to form the ridged or grooved structure on the substrate; adhering unvulcanized rubber to the substrate after the etching, vulcanizing the unvulcanized rubber to form vulcanized rubber, and transferring the ridged or grooved structure to a surface of the vulcanized rubber; and said method further comprising determining the arrangement pitch of the ridged or grooved portions based on a wavelength of visible light, the wavelength corresponding to the color visually recognizable as the structural color, wherein in the forming the mask, the pitch of the pattern structures of the ridged or grooved portions is determined based on the arrangement pitch determined in the determining the arrangement pitch.

8 . The method of manufacturing the rubber member according to claim 7 , wherein the arrangement pitch or ridged or grooved height of the ridged or grooved portions is equal to or smaller than 650 nm.

9 . The method of manufacturing the rubber member, said rubber member being comprised of a ridged or grooved structure on at least a part of a surface of the rubber member, and having ridged or grooved portions arranged at a constant arrangement pitch, each of the ridged or grooved portions having a same length and width when viewed in plan view, a region in which the ridged or grooved structure is provided being visually recognizable by a structural color different from colors of other regions, the method comprising:
forming a mask having a pattern structure of the ridged or grooved portions arranged at the constant arrangement pitch; arranging the mask on a substrate made of a metal or a semiconductor material and etching the substrate to form the ridged or grooved structure on the substrate; adhering unvulcanized rubber to the substrate after the etching, vulcanizing the unvulcanized rubber to form vulcanized rubber, and transferring the ridged or grooved structure to a surface of the vulcanized rubber; and said method further comprising determining a ridged or grooved height of the ridged or grooved portions based on a wavelength of visible light, the wavelength corresponding to the color visually recognizable as the structural color, wherein in the etching, an etching time of the substrate is appropriately controlled to match the ridged or grooved height of the ridged or grooved portions with the ridged or grooved height determined in the determining the ridged or grooved height.

10 . The method of manufacturing the rubber member according to claim 9 , wherein the arrangement pitch or ridged or grooved height of the ridged or grooved portions is equal to or smaller than 650 nm.

Assignees

• Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd
• Chitose Institute Of Science And Tech
• Univ Hokkaido Nat Univ Corp
• Tohoku Techno Arch Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okamatsu Takahiro
• Shimomura Masatsugu
• Hirai Yuji
• Matsuo Yasutaka
• Arita Toshihiko

Classifications

• B60C13/001 Primary

  Decorating, marking or the like · CPC title

• C08L9/00

  Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C08K3/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B29C59/02

  by mechanical means, e.g. pressing {(B29C59/007 takes precedence; embossing expanded porous articles B29C44/5627)} · CPC title

• B29D30/72 Primary

  Side-walls · CPC title