Patents for July
Patents as compiled by the editors of Rubber World Magazine for July 2022
Sulfur-crosslinkable rubber mixture, vulcanizate of the rubber mixture and vehicle tire
U.S. patent: 11,325,988
Issued: May 10, 2022
Inventors: Catarina Sa, Gesa Tarantola, Viktoria Pavon Sierra and Armand Gabriel Becheanu-Boeke
Assigned: Continental Reifen
Key statement: A sulfur-crosslinkable rubber mixture comprising at least the following constituents: at least one diene rubber and at least one liquid, linear modified diene polymer A, modified with a functional group of formula I) at only one chain end, the number of functional groups per molecule being on average from 0.8 to 1
(R1R2R3)Si–X–NH–C(==O)–O–, I) where R1, R2 and R3 independently of one another are selected from methoxy groups, ethoxy groups, phenoxy groups, methyl groups, ethyl groups and phenyl groups, with in each case at least one of the groups R1, R2 and R3 being a methoxy group, an ethoxy group or a phenoxy group and where X is a divalent alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.
Sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture for vehicle tires, containing carbon nanotubes (CNT), vehicle tire having the sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture and method for producing the sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture containing carbon nanotubes
U.S. patent: 11,326,028
Issued: May 10, 2022
Inventors: Nils Hojdis and Carla Recker
Assigned: Continental Reifen
Key statement: A sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture for vehicle tires including carbon nanotubes (CNT), to a vehicle tire comprising the sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture and to a process for producing the sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture comprising CNT. The sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture according to the invention is characterized in that the CNTs are predispersed in at least one polyisoprene. The vehicle tire according to the invention preferably comprises the sulfur-crosslinked rubber mixture in the tread and/or a sidewall and/or a conductivity track.
Tire having replaceable discrete traction elements
U.S. patent: 11,331,949
Issued: May 17, 2022
Inventors: Dustin Paul Scheer and Aaron J. Roberts
Assigned: Goodrich
Key statement: A tire may comprise a hub and a plurality of discrete traction elements coupled to the hub. Each of the traction elements may comprise a backing plate and an elastomeric material bonded to the backing plate. Circumferentially adjacent traction elements may axially overlap.
Methods of making polymers with reduced tack and rubber compositions incorporating these polymers
U.S. patent: 11,332,556
Issued: May 17, 2022
Inventors: Terrence E. Hogan, Gabrielle L. McIntyre and Wei Zhao
Assigned: Firestone Polymers
Key statement: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods of preparing an alkoxysilane functionalized polymer, the method comprising: introducing an anionic polymerization initiator to a reactor comprising a reactive mixture including conjugated diolefin monomer and solvent to form a living polymer via anionic polymerization; introducing alkoxysilane to the reactor to mix with the living polymer to form an alkoxysilane functionalized polymer; adding at least one aliphatic carboxylic acid having at least 10 carbons to the alkoxysilane functionalized polymer; and removing solvent from the alkoxysilane functionalized polymer.
Elastomeric compositions and their applications
U.S. patent: 11,332,581
Issued: May 17, 2022
Inventors: Frederic Gubbels and Sandrine Teixeira de Carvalho
Assigned: Dow Silicones
Key statement: A condensation curable gel composition is disclosed. The composition comprises: (i) at least one condensation curable silyl terminated polymer having at least one hydrolyzable and/or hydroxyl functional group(s) per molecule; (ii) a cross-linker selected from the group of a silicone, an organic polymer, a monosilane or a disilane molecule which contains at least two hydrolyzable groups per molecule; and (iii) a condensation catalyst selected from the group of titanates, zirconates or tin (II). The molar ratio of hydroxyl and/or hydrolyzable group(s) in polymer (i) to hydrolyzable groups from component (ii) is between 0.5:1 and 1:1 using a monosilane crosslinker or 0.75:1 to 3:1 using disilanes. The titanates and zirconates comprise M-OR functions where M is titanium or zirconium and R is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group. The molar ratio of M-OR or tin (II) functions to the hydroxyl and/or hydrolyzable groups in polymer (i) is comprised between 0.01:1 and 0.5:1.
Modified conjugated diene-based polymer and rubber composition including the same
U.S. patent: 11,339,238
Issued: May 24, 2022
Inventors: Ho Young Lee, Ki Seok Son, Da Won Chai, No Ma Kim, Sun Keun Kim, Youk Reol Na, Hyoung Woo Lee and Heung Yeal Choi
Assigned: LG Chern
Key statement: A modified conjugated diene-based polymer and more particularly, a modified conjugated diene-based polymer having a unimodal molecular weight distribution curve measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), molecular weight distribution (PDI; MWD) of less than 1.7, and an Si content of 100 ppm or more based on weight and a rubber composition including the same.
Rubber composition and pneumatic tire
U.S. patent: 11,339,276
Issued: May 24, 2022
Inventor: Tsuyoshi Nomaguchi
Assigned: Yokohama Rubber
Key statement: The present technology provides a rubber composition having: from 30 to 50 parts by mass of carbon black having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of from 100 to 130 m2/g, from 25 to 40 parts by mass of carbon black having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of from 37 to 60 m2/g, from 1.5 to 2.2 parts by mass of sulfur as a pure sulfur content and from 110 to 200 mass % of a sulfenamide-based vulcanization accelerator relative to the pure sulfur content compounded in 100 parts by mass of diene rubber containing from 30 to 60 parts by mass of isoprene rubber and from 40 to 70 parts by mass of butadiene rubber.
Conjugated diene-based polymer, branching agent, production method for conjugated diene-based polymer, extended conjugated diene-based polymer, rubber composition and tire
U.S. patent: 11,339,240
Issued: May 24, 2022
Inventors: Kenta Hisamura and Miho Yamamoto
Assigned: Asahi Kasei Kabushiki Kaisha
Key statement: A conjugated diene-based polymer of the present invention has an absolute molecular weight measured by viscosity detector-equipped GPC-light scattering measurement, of 40 x 104 or more and 5,000 x 104 or less, has a branching number (Bn) measured by the viscosity detector-equipped GPC-light scattering measurement of 8 or more, and has a modification ratio of 60% by mass or more.
Rubber composition and transmission belt using same
U.S. patent: 11,345,805
Issued: May 31, 2022
Inventor: Hisashi Matsuda
Assigned: Bando Chemical
Key statement: A rubber composition contains a rubber component, polyparaphenylene terephthalamide short fibers, silica and carbon black. The content of the silica is larger than the content of the carbon black.
Pneumatic tire
U.S. patent: 11,338,619
Issued: May 24, 2022
Inventors: Yoshiki Nakata
Assigned: Bridgestone
Key statement: Provided is a pneumatic tire in which a land portion includes a width direction sipe extending in a tread width direction, the width direction sipe includes, in a cross section along a depth direction, a linear portion extending from an opening of the width direction sipe toward a bottom of the width direction sipe and a bent portion connected to the linear portion, bending and extending from a connecting portion with the linear portion to the bottom of the width direction sipe and the linear portion of the width direction sipe has a length in the depth direction increasing as the linear portion extends from a center portion of the width direction sipe in the tread width direction toward an end portion in the tread width direction.
Tire provided with an outer sidewall comprising a thermoplastic elastomer comprising at least one saturated elastomer block
U.S. patent: 11,352,459
Issued: June 7, 2022
Inventors: Emmanuel Custodero, Baptiste Foglieni and Christophe Chouvel
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A tire has an outer sidewall, said outer sidewall comprising at least one composition comprising an elastomeric matrix which predominantly comprises by weight one or more thermoplastic elastomers comprising at least one elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block, the elastomer block(s) being saturated.
Rubber composition for tires with good wet grip and winter properties by tailoring phase morphology
U.S. patent: 11,352,483
Issued: June 7, 2022
Inventors: Swarupini Ganesan, Sander Marinus, Mohamed Tharik, Hendrik Stevens and Louis Reuvekamp
Assigned: Apollo Tyres
Key statement: The present invention relates to a crosslinkable rubber composition, a crosslinked rubber composition obtained by crosslinking such a rubber composition, a method of preparing a tire and a tire. In a crosslinkable rubber composition, the crosslinkable rubber composition comprises, per hundred parts by weight of rubber (phr): ≥ 1 phr to ≤ 99 phr of a rubber component selected from the group of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polybutadiene rubber (BR), natural rubber (NR) or a mixture thereof; and ≥ 1 phr to ≤ 120 phr of an aliphatic resin component. The composition further comprises ≥ 1 phr to ≤ 50 phr of a polyisoprene rubber (IR) having ≥ mol-%, as determined by NMR spectroscopy, of 3,4-linked units derived from isoprene. It has surprisingly been found that such a polyisoprene rubber having 3,4-linked units derived from isoprene in combination with aliphatic resin worked very well in broadening the tan delta curve of the compound, indicating the compound can perform well in a wide range of conditions when cured and used as a rubber for a tire tread.
Rubber composition
U.S. patent: 11,359,078
Issued: June 14, 2022
Inventors: Youk Reol Na, Jae Sun Choi, Jin Young Kim and No Ma Kim
Assigned: LG Chem
Key statement: The present invention relates to a rubber composition having excellent abrasion resistance and improved tensile and viscoelastic properties by controlling compatibility among rubber components, and a tire manufactured using the same.
Modifier, modified and conjugated diene-based polymer and rubber composition including the same
U.S. patent: 11,365,269
Issued: June 21, 2022
Inventors: Suk Youn Kang, Hyo Jin Bae, Hee Jung Jeon, Jeong Heon Ahn, Heung Yeal Choi, Kyoung Hwan Oh and Woo Jin Cho
Assigned: LG Chem
Key statement: The present invention provides a modifier, a modified and conjugated diene-based polymer which is modified using the same and a rubber composition including the modified and conjugated diene-based polymer and more particularly, a modifier which includes a compound represented by Formula 1 and is capable of improving the mixing properties between a conjugated diene-based polymer and a filler, a modified and conjugated diene-based polymer which is modified using the same, and a rubber composition including the modified and conjugated diene-based polymer.