The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Olivier Louis

Adel Farhan Halasa

Wen-Liang Hsu

Giorgio Agostini

Filomeno Gennaro Corvasce

Danielle Lucas

James Oral Hunt

It has been unexpectedly determined that isoprene-butadiene rubber having a high glass transition temperature within the range of about &minus;40&deg; C. to about &minus;25&deg; C. (high Tg IBR) can be loaded with silica as a filler and utilized in manufacturing tire treads that have outstanding performance characteristics. For instance, such tire treads offer lower hysteresis at high temperatures (improved rolling resistance) and higher hysteresis at low temperatures (improved wet traction characteristics). By utilizing high Tg IBR in tire tread compounds, the maximum benefits of silica compounding can be realized without the need for solution or emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) in the tread rubber formulations. The tire tread rubber formulations of this invention will normally contain about 20 phr (parts per 100 parts of rubber) to about 100 phr of the high Tg IBR. In other words, the tread rubber will normally contain at least 20 phr of the high Tg IBR and can contain up to 100 phr of the high Tg IBR. The tread compound will also contain 40 phr to 150 phr of a filler with the proviso that at least about 20 phr of silica is included in the filler. The tire tread compound will also contain a silica coupling agent. This invention more specifically discloses a tire tread rubber composition which is comprised of (1) at least about 20 phr of an isoprene-butadiene rubber having a glass transition temperature which is within the range of about &minus;40&deg; C. to &minus;25&deg; C., (2) 40 phr to 150 phr of a filler, with the proviso that the filler contains at least about 20 phr of silica, and (3) a silica coupling agent.

Tire tread compound

This invention relates to a tire with a rubber tread reinforced with silica and containing one or more additives designed to aid ice traction for the tread. Such additive is selected from at least one of (i) at least one organic fiber having hydroxyl groups on the surface thereof selected from cellulose fibers and wood fibers and (ii) small, hollow, spherical ceramic particles having silanol groups on the surface thereof. The rubber is composed of at least one or more diene-based sulfur vulcanizable elastomers having a Tg of less than -30.degree. C. and containing silica as predominant particulate reinforcement and other traditional rubber compound ingredients. In particular, a coupler is used to couple the silica as well as the said additive(s) to the elastomer(s) in the tire tread composition.

Tire tread for ice traction

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Arlon, Belgium

Olivier Louis