Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin

Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.a.

Compagnie Generale Des Etablissments Michelin

Xavier Saintigny

Jessica McDowell

Olivier Piffard

Constantine Khripin

Etienne Munch

Didier Vasseur

Pierre Lesage

Anne-Frédérique Salit Salit

Philippe Labrunie

Paul Winston

William Marshall Thompson

Raymond Stubblefield

Anne-Frédérîque Salit

Anthony Derbin Cato

Ramond Stubblefiled

Elizabeth L Holaling

Elizabeth L Hotaling

Anne-Frédérique Salit

Didler Vasseur

Rubber compositions having a modified rubber component selected from a modified polybutadiene rubber, a modified styrene-butadiene rubber, or combinations thereof, the modification being with a functional group having a hydrogen bond acceptor atom. Such functional group may be selected from a pyridine, a pyrrolidone, an ether, a ketone or an epoxide, the rubber composition having a Tg of between &#x2212;80&#xb0; C. and &#x2212;110&#xb0; C. The rubber composition may include an efficient plasticizing resin, which when included in a mixture consisting of the modified rubber component and 67 phr of the efficient plasticizing resin, causes a Tg of the mixture to be at least 14&#xb0; C. higher than the Tg of the modified rubber component. The rubber composition may described as having the hydrogen bond acceptor atom located at least two covalent bond lengths or alternatively three covalent bond lengths from a backbone of the modified rubber component.

Functionalized rubber composition

Rubber compositions and articles made from such rubber compositions that are based upon a cross-linkable elastomer composition, the cross-linkable elastomer composition comprising, per 100 parts by weight of rubber (phr) between 70 phr and 100 phr of an epoxidized rubber component selected from an epoxidized polybutadiene rubber (eBR), an epoxidized styrene-butadiene rubber (eSBR), or combinations thereof, wherein the epoxidized rubber component has a Tg of between &#x2212;80&#xb0; C. and &#x2212;110&#xb0; C. and an epoxy-function content of between 1 mol % and 25 mol %. Such rubber compositions may further include between 30 phr and 150 phr of a plasticizing resin, silica and a coupling agent that is a monohydroxysilane polysulfide having a form (Formula I) wherein radicals R, identical or different, are hydrocarbon groups, radicals R', identical or different, are divalent linking groups and x is equal to or greater than 2. 

Epoxidized rubber compositions

A rubber component for a tire is disclosed that is manufactured from a rubber composition that is based upon a cross-linkable elastomer composition that includes 100 phr of two elastomer types including at least 50 phr of a styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBR) with a polybutadiene (BR) as the remainder. Such compositions may further include between 75 phr and 130 phr of a carbon black. Also included in such elastomers is a plasticizing system that includes a plasticizing resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least 25&#xb0; C. and a plasticizing liquid. The plasticizing system is added in an effective amount to provide the cured rubber composition with a shear modulus G* measured at 60&#xb0; C. of between 0.7 MPa and 1.6 MPa and a measured Tg of between &#x2212;30&#xb0; C. and 0&#xb0; C. The elastomer composition is cured with curing system that includes both a peroxide and sulfur.

Rubber component for a tire with improved abrasion resistance

A tire tread formed at least in part from a rubber composition that is based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition that may include between 50 phr and 90 phr of a first highly unsaturated elastomer being middle chain functionalized with an aminoalkoxysilane group and having a Tg of between &#x2212;108&#xb0; C. and &#x2212;45&#xb0; C. and between 10 phr and 50 phr of a second highly unsaturated elastomer being end-chain functionalized with a silanol group and having a Tg of between &#x2212;108&#xb0; C. and &#x2212;10&#xb0; C. The rubber composition may further include between 50 phr and 150 phr of a silica filler and a plasticizing system comprising between 5 phr and 120 phr of a plasticizing resin having a Tg of at least 25&#xb0; C. and between 0 phr and 60 phr of a plasticizing liquid.

Functionalized polymer blends for improved wear

A tire, which has an improved grip on wet ground, includes a tread formed of at least a rubber composition. The rubber composition includes: 20 to 100 phr of a first diene elastomer bearing at least one SiOR function, with R being hydrogen or a hydrocarbon radical, and with phr referring to parts by weight per hundred parts of elastomer; 100 to 160 phr of a reinforcing inorganic filler; and a plasticizing system. The plasticizing system includes: a content A of between 5 and 60 phr of a hydrocarbon resin having a Tg above 20&#xb0; C.; and a content B of between 5 and 60 phr of a liquid plasticizing agent. A total content A+B is greater than 45 phr. The rubber composition optionally includes 0 to 80 phr of a second diene elastomer.

Tyre tread

Tire treads having improved traction properties while surprisingly still maintaining good material cohesion properties, the tire treads comprising a rubber composition based upon a highly unsaturated diene elastomer and between 95 phr and 160 phr of an inorganic reinforcing filler. The composition may further include between 60 phr and 130 phr of a plasticizing system made up of a plasticizing resin having a Tg of at least 25&#xb0; C. and a plasticizing liquid. The rubber composition is cured with an ultra-efficient sulfur curing system having a sulfur to accelerator weight ratio adjusted between 0.02 and 0.2 to provide the rubber composition with an MA300/G* ratio of greater than 1.7, wherein the elongation modulus MA300 at 300% is measured at 23&#xb0; C. and the shear modulus G* is measured at 60&#xb0; C.

Tread with ultra efficient vulcanization system

Tire treads and tires having such tire treads are included, such treads manufactured with a rubber composition that includes mostly, if not entirely, a polybutadiene rubber having cis-1,4 bond content of at least 95%. The rubber composition further includes between 60 phr and 95 phr of a plasticizing resin having a Tg of at least 25&#xb0; C. and between 0 phr and 15 phr of a liquid plasticizer. Additionally the rubber composition is reinforced with at least 90 phr of a silica reinforcing filler. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the rubber composition may be reinforced with an organic filler, an inorganic filler or combinations thereof. In some of these embodiments, the rubber composition includes at least 90 phr of such reinforcing filler.

Tire tread with improved wear

Growing community of inventors

Greer, SC, United States of America

Xavier Saintigny