The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Colleen Marie Lansinger

Lewis Timothy Lukich

Gordon R Schorr

Vetkav R Parameswaran

Pawan K Handa

Thomas Edwin Duncan

Gordon Richard Schorr

Pawan Kumar Handa

Vetkav Rajagopalan Parameswaran

This invention relates to curable rubber compositions containing a fullerene form of carbon which is used as a reinforcing agent in the rubber compositions, the fullerene form of carbon being used in place of at least a portion of, or in addition to, the normally used forms of carbon black reinforcement additives. The invention particularly relates to tires having treads composed of such rubber composition(s). The fullerenes may optionally have surface modifications such as partial or complete hydrogen or functional group substitution. The fullerene form of non-conventional carbon reinforcement of rubber composition(s) may exist as discrete particles, aggregates of particles and/or agglomerates. The carbon fullerene has a lower specific gravity than conventional carbon black, thereby allowing a reduced weight tire or other article made from the rubber compound(s) for comparable volumes of carbon black used.

Use of fullerene carbon in curable rubber compounds

An elastomer masterbatch or a compounded productive elastomer stock is made using a twin screw extruder to mix elastomer components in multiple mixing zones at controlled temperatures. Elastomer and other ingredients are fed into the twin screw extruder continuously through precise loss-in-weight or volumetric feeders. The degradation temperature and/or cross linking temperature of the elastomer determines the rate at which the elastomer can be processed, since friction created during mixing heats the elastomer. Accordingly, the maximum rate of compounding is a function of the torque limit, cooling efficiency, and conveying capacity of the extruder. The conveying capacity and torque limit are also a function of the size of the extruder. The viscosity of the elastomer compound in the extruder, as measured by a Mooney viscosimeter (ASTM D1646), is typically in the range of about 20 to 250 units (ML(1+4)100C).

Continuous mixing of elastomeric compounds

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Akron, OH, United States of America

Colleen Marie Lansinger