The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Ginger Lee

Adel Farhan Halasa

Wen-Liang Hsu

Eric Sean Castner

Manoj Ajbani

Bruce Raymond Hahn

Robert Allen Losey

Richard Michael D'Sidocky

Aaron Scott Puhala

Kenneth Allen Bates

Tarah Pecora Shpargel

Rachel Rebekah Barnette

The present invention is directed towards speckled tire treads for tires. Specifically, the speckled tire tread includes a primary tread compound that serves as a matrix in which is distributed discrete particles of one or more secondary tread compounds, at least one of the compounds is a different color than the other tread compound(s) so as to be visually distinguishable. For example, the primary tread compound may include carbon black pigment and be black in color while the secondary tread compound can include one or more pigments to provide the particles with non-black color. Thus, the colored particles have a visually distinguishable color from that of the primary tread composition. Additionally, at least a portion of the particles may be situated for viewing on a running surface of the tire tread so that a subject can visually distinguish between the compounds, and such observed compounds may provide a different tire performance characteristic(s).

Speckled tire treads

This invention relates to a tire which is comprised of a generally toroidal-shaped carcass with an outer circumferential tread, two spaced beads, at least one ply extending from bead to bead and sidewalls extending radially from and connecting said tread to said beads; wherein said tread is adapted to be ground-contacting; wherein the tread is comprised of: (1) an amino group containing rubbery polymer, wherein said amino group containing rubbery polymer contains from about 0.1 weight percent to about 20 weight percent monomer units containing an amino group, (2) from 0.1 to about 25 phr of an organophilic 2:1 layered silicate clay selected from the group consisting of montmorillonite clays, bentonite clays, hectorite clays, saponite clays, nontronite clays, beidellite clays, fluorohectorite clays, stevensite clays, volkonskoite clays, sauconite clays, and laponite clays, and (3) a silica coupling agent.

Light weight rubber composition containing clay

This invention relates to a process for making a vulcanized rubber article comprising the steps of (1) kneading at a temperature within the range of about 70&#xb0; C. to about 190&#xb0; C. in a bulk thermomechanical mixer (a) an amino group containing rubbery polymer, wherein said amino group containing rubbery polymer contains from about 0.1 weight percent to about 20 weight percent monomer units containing an amino group, (b) from 0.1 to about 25 phr of an organophilic 2:1 layered silicate clay selected from the group consisting of montmorillonite clays, bentonite clays, hectorite clays, saponite clays, nontronite clays, beidellite clays, fluorohectorite clays, stevensite clays, volkonskoite clays, sauconite clays, and laponite clays, and (c) at least one conventional rubber compounding ingredient selected from the group consisting of curing agents, cure accelerators, cure activators, processing aids, reinforcing fillers, oils, cure retarders, resins, and antidegradants, to produce a mixed compound; (2) discharging the said mixed compound from the bulk thermomechanical mixer; (3) forming the mixed compound into an article; and (4) vulcanizing the article.

Process for making light weight rubber composition containing clay

This invention discloses a rubber composition that is comprised of: (1) an amino group containing rubbery polymer, wherein said amino group containing rubbery polymer contains from about 0.1 weight percent to about 20 weight percent of monomer units containing an amino group, and (2) from about 0.1 phr to about 25 phr of a 2:1 layered silicate clay, wherein the 2:1 layered silicate clay is an organophilic 2:1 layered silicate clay.

Growing community of inventors

Ravenna, OH, United States of America

Ginger Lee