Continental Aktiengesellschaft

Victor Monroy

Werner Obrecht

Thomas Scholl

Peter Wendling

Michael Well

Rubber composition, method of formulating and blending the same and article and tires made therefrom

A rubber composition which contains a rubber mixture that can be vulcanized with a vulcanizing agent, which includes at least one rubber component, at least one filler having nucleophilic groups, gel particles comprising a rubber, having a particle size between about 3&times;10,and about 1&times;10,m and a swelling index in toluene of about 1 to about 15 and whose surface has electrophilic centers, and a substance acting as a coupling agent between the filler having nucleophilic groups and the additional filler, the substance acting as a coupling agent having the following structure: X&mdash;R,&mdash;Si&mdash;(R,),, wherein X is a nucleophilic group, R,is an alkyl group having up to about 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group, and R,may be the same as or different from each other and from R,and is an alkyl or alkoxy group having up to 6 carbon atoms and at least one of R,is an alkoxy group. The rubber composition has improved hysteresis behavior in the vulcanized state so that with the use of this rubber composition in tires, the rolling resistance is reduced and the wet slippage behavior is improved in relation to conventional rubber compositions. A method of adding and blending the rubber composition as well as a composition useful for tire treads and vehicle tires containing the composition are disclosed.

Rubber composition, method of adding and blending the composition and vehicle tire made from the composition

A rubber composition, which contains a rubber mixture that can be vulcanized with a vulcanizing agent, which includes at least one rubber component, at least one filler, gel particles comprising a rubber, having a particle size between about 3.times.10.sup.-9 and about 1.times.10.sup.-6 m and a swelling index in toluene of about 1 to about 15 and whose surface has electrophilic centers, and a substance which acts as a coupling agent between the gel particles and which has the structure A--R--A, wherein A is a nucleophilic group, and R is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon group. The rubber composition has improved hysteresis behavior in the vulcanized state so that when this rubber composition is used in tires, the rolling resistance is reduced and the wet slippage behavior is improved in relation to the conventional rubber compositions. A method of formulating the rubber composition as well as a composition useful for tire treads and vehicle tires containing the composition are disclosed.

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Charlotte, NC, United States of America

Victor Monroy