Rubber composition comprising a thermoplastic filler and compatibilizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550890-B2
Application number	US-201113806508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2011
Priority date	Jun 23, 2010
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A rubber composition, which can be used for manufacturing tires, is based on one or more diene elastomers, on one or more reinforcing fillers, and on a crosslinking system. The rubber composition includes particles of one or more thermoplastic materials chosen from thermoplastic materials with melting or softening points varying from 80° C. to 300° C. The rubber composition also includes one or more compatibilizing agents chosen from block copolymers that includes at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the one or more thermoplastic materials.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rubber composition for manufacturing tires, the rubber composition comprising:
one or more diene elastomers;
one or more reinforcing fillers;
a crosslinking system;
polystyrene particles, where the particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than or equal to 200 μm; and
one or more compatibilizing agents chosen from block copolymers that include at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles,
wherein the one or more compatibilizing agents is selected from the group consisting of styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene diblock copolymers, styrene/butadiene/styrene triblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene/styrene triblock copolymers, and blends thereof.

2. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the polystyrene particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than 100 μm.

3. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the polystyrene particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of between 50 and 100 μm.

4. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the polystyrene particles are present at a content of less than 100 phr.

5. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the polystyrene particles are present at a content of from 10 to 70 phr.

6. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more diene elastomers is selected from the group consisting of polybutadienes, natural rubber, synthetic polyisoprenes, butadiene copolymers, isoprene copolymers, and mixtures thereof.

7. The rubber composition according to claim 6 , wherein the one or more diene elastomers is a butadiene/styrene copolymer.

8. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein a sum of a volume of the particles and a volume of the at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles is less than or equal to 45% of a total volume of the composition.

9. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein a volume ratio of the polystyrene particles to the one or more compatibilizing agents is greater than or equal to 0.05.

10. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more reinforcing fillers is selected from the group consisting of silica, carbon black, and mixtures thereof.

11. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more reinforcing fillers is or are present at a content of between 20 and 200 phr.

12. The rubber composition according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more reinforcing fillers is or are present at a content of between 30 and 150 phr.

13. A finished or semifinished article for a motor vehicle ground-contact system, the finished or semifinished article comprising a rubber composition that includes:
one or more diene elastomers,
one or more reinforcing fillers,
a crosslinking system,
polystyrene particles, where the particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than or equal to 200 μm; and
one or more compatibilizing agents chosen from block copolymers that include at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles,
wherein the one or more compatibilizing agents is selected from the group consisting of styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene diblock copolymers, styrene/butadiene/styrene triblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene/styrene triblock copolymers, and blends thereof.

14. A tire comprising a rubber composition that includes:
one or more diene elastomers,
one or more reinforcing fillers,
a crosslinking system,
polystyrene particles, where the particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than or equal to 200 μm; and
one or more compatibilizing agents chosen from block copolymers that include at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles,
wherein the one or more compatibilizing agents is selected from the group consisting of styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene diblock copolymers, styrene/butadiene/styrene triblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene/styrene triblock copolymers, and blends thereof.

15. A process for manufacturing an article for a motor vehicle ground-contact system, the process comprising:
obtaining a rubber composition that includes:
one or more diene elastomers,
one or more reinforcing fillers,
a crosslinking system,
polystyrene particles, where the particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than or equal to 200 μm; and
one or more compatibilizing agents chosen from block copolymers that include at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles,
wherein the one or more compatibilizing agents is selected from the group consisting of styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene diblock copolymers, styrene/butadiene/styrene triblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene/styrene triblock copolymers, and blends thereof; and

using the rubber composition to produce a finished or semifinished article for the motor vehicle ground-contact system.

16. A process for manufacturing a rubber composition that includes one or more diene elastomers, one or more reinforcing fillers, a crosslinking system, polystyrene particles with melting point T M1 , where the particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than or equal to 200 μm and one or more compatibilizing agents with melting or softening points T M2 chosen from block copolymers that include at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles, the process comprising steps of:
incorporating in the one or more diene elastomer, during a non-productive stage, the polystyrene particles, the one or more compatibilizing agents, and the one or more reinforcing fillers to form a mixture, the mixture being thermomechanically kneaded until a maximum temperature greater than a higher of T M1 and T M2 ,
cooling the mixture to a temperature of less than 100° C.;
subsequently incorporating, during a productive stage, the crosslinking system to form a final mixture; and
subsequently kneading the final mixture to a maximum temperature of less than 120° C.,
wherein the one or more compatibilizing agents is selected from the group consisting of styrene/butadiene diblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene diblock copolymers, styrene/butadiene/styrene triblock copolymers, styrene/isoprene/styrene triblock copolymers, and blends thereof.

17. A process for manufacturing a rubber composition that includes one or more diene elastomers, one or more reinforcing fillers, a crosslinking system, polystyrene particles with melting point T M1 , where the particles exhibit a volume-average diameter of less than or equal to 200 μm and one or more compatibilizing agents with melting or softening points T M2 chosen from block copolymers that include at least one diene elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block compatible with the polystyrene particles, the process comprising steps of:
forming a masterbatch including the polystyrene particles and the one or more compatibilizing agents;
incorporating in the one or more diene elastomer, during a non-productive stage, the masterbatch and the one or more reinforcing fillers to form a mixture, the mixture being thermo-mechanically kneaded until a maximum temperature greater than a melting or softening point T M of the masterbatch;
cooling the mixture to a temperature of less than 100° C.;
subsequently incorporating, during a

Assignees

• Custodero Emmanuel
• Thomasson Damien
• Abad Vincent
• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Custodero Emmanuel
• Thomasson Damien
• Abad Vincent

Classifications

• C08L9/06 Primary

  Copolymers with styrene · CPC title

• C08L2666/24

  Graft or block copolymers according to groups C08L51/00, C08L53/00 or C08L55/02; Derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C08L27/12

  containing fluorine atoms · CPC title

• C08L2666/14

  Macromolecular compounds according to C08L59/00 - C08L87/00; Derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C08L25/00

  Compositions of, homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an aromatic carbocyclic ring; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers · CPC title