Patent ID: 6528592
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: C08K

Abstract:
A tire which contains at least one component comprised of a rubber composition which comprises(A) 100 parts by weight of at least one diene-based elastomer, (B) about 25 to about 100 phr of particulate reinforcing filler comprised of (1) from zero to about 100 phr of synthetic amorphous silica aggregates and, correspondingly, (2) from zero to about 75 phr of at least one of carbon black and silica treated carbon black having domains of silica on its surface; wherein said synthetic amorphous silica aggregates and said domains of silica on the surface of said silica treated carbon black contain hydroxyl groups on their surface; and (C) from about 0.5 to about 10 phr of a coupling agent as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or a combination of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and an alkoxysilyl polysulfide material in a weight ratio of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate to said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material is in a range of from about 1/2 to about 2/1 and wherein said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material is of the general formula (I) (RO)3â€”Siâ€”Râ€²â€”Sxâ€”Râ€²â€”Siâ€”(OR)3â€ƒâ€ƒ(I) wherein R is selected from methyl and ethyl radicals, Râ€² is an alkylene radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and x represents the number of connecting sulfur atoms in the polysulfidic bridge as being a value in a range of from 2 to 6 wherein the value of x for said polysulfide material is an average of from 2 to 2.6 or from 3.5 to 4; wherein said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material of general formula (I) are mixed with said elastomer(s), by: (1) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or both of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material with said diene-based elastomer(s) and said particulate reinforcing filler, or (2) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or a combination of both of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material with said diene-based elastomer(s) and said particulate reinforcing filler, wherein at least one of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material has been pre-reacted with said carbon black, or (3) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or a combination of both of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material with said elastomer(s) and said particulate reinforcing filler, wherein at least one of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material has been pre-reacted with said silica treated carbon black to form a silica treated carbon black composite thereof, or (4) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or a combination of both of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material with said elastomer(s) and said particulate reinforcing filler, wherein at least one of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material has been pre-reacted with (a) a synthetic precipitated silica or (b) an aqueous dispersion of colloidal silica particles from which a precipitated silica is recovered to form a silica composite thereof, (5) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material with said elastomer(s) and said particulate reinforcing filler according to one or more of said steps (1), (2), (3) or (4) wherein said particulate reinforcing filler includes at least one of said synthetic amorphous silica aggregates and said silica treated carbon black which has been pre-hydrophobated prior to mixing with said elastomers with an alkylsilane of the general formula (II): Xnâ€”Siâ€”R4âˆ’nâ€ƒâ€ƒ(II) wherein X is a radical selected from methoxy and ethoxy radicals, or from halogen radicals selected from at least one of chlorine and bromine radicals; R is an alkyl radical having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms; and n is an integer of 1 through 3, or (6) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, or a combination of both of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material, and an alkylsilane of the said formula (II) with said a diene-based elastomer(s) and particulate reinforcing filler, or (7) mixing said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, or a combination of both of said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material and said alkylsilane of formula (II) with said diene-based elastomer(s) and said particulate reinforcing filler, wherein said 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, said alkoxysilyl polysulfide material and said alkylsilane of formula (II) have all been pre-reacted with (a) a synthetic precipitated silica, or (b) an aqueous dispersion of colloidal silica particles from which a preciipitated silica is recovered to form a silica composite thereof.