Pneumatic radial tires

Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire comprises a tread portion (1) having a two-layer structure of a cap rubber layer (2) disposed outward in the radial direction and a base rubber layer (3) disposed inward in the radial direction, in which an outer surface (S) of said base rubber layer (3) in the radial direction is existent in a position corresponding to not less than 20% of a depth (D) of a main groove formed in the tread portion outward from a bottom (B) of the main groove in the radial direction, and the base rubber layer (3) being compounded with a recrosslinking inhibition assistant and/or an inorganic compound powder.

Description: This invention relates to pneumatic radial tires, and more particularly to a pneumatic radial tire for passenger cars controlling the degradation of wet performances such as gripping performance, braking performance and the like on a wet road surface at a time from a middle worn stage to a last worn stage. In general, when a tire is mounted onto a vehicle and run over a long distance, it is gradually worn. In this case, tire performances in a new tire are not necessarily the same as tire performances at a last worn stage. Particularly, the change of performances on wet road surface is large, which is considered due to the change of rubber properties in addition to a significant factor that the volume of the grooves forming a tread pattern is decreased by wearing to lower the drainage efficiency against puddles existing on a road. However, it can not be avoided that the groove volume decreases as the tire wears. In order to control the degradation of wet performances even if the groove volume is decreased by the wearing of the tire, there is proposed a countermeasure wherein rubber having a high friction coefficient µ against a wet road surface (hereinafter referred to as wet-µ) is exposed from the tread rubber at a last worn stage to supplement the lowering of the performances due to the decrease of the groove volume with such a high wet-µ. When the tread rubber of the tire has a two-layer structure of a cap rubber layer and a base rubber layer, if rubber having a high wet-µ is simply applied to the base rubber layer, there is caused a problem that work load in the extrusion operation of the base rubber is increased to lower production efficiency. Attention is also drawn to the disclosures of EP-A-0818501, EP-A-732229, US-A-5225011, and EP-A-0837096. EP-A-732 229 is disclosing a tyre according to the preamble of claim 1. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a pneumatic radial tire for passenger cars wherein wet-µ is effectively enhanced at a time from a middle worn stage to a last worn stage to control the degradation of wet performances without lowering the productivity. The present inventors have made various studies with respect to the compounding of base rubber from viewpoints of material, production efficiency and performances, specifically the structure and arrangement of the base rubber effectively increasing wet-µ without lowering the productivity as well as the compounding of the base rubber controlling the change of rubber properties in use, and found that the above problem can be solved by rendering the tread portion into a specified cap/base structure and compounding a particular recrosslinking inhibition assistant and a particular inorganic compound powder into the base rubber layer, and as a result the invention has been accomplished. According to the invention, there is provided a pneumatic radial tire comprising a pair of ring-shaped bead cores, bead fillers disposed on the bead cores, a carcass toroidally extending between the bead cores and comprised of a rubberized ply containing plural cords arranged side by side in a radial direction and wound around each bead core from the inside toward the outside thereof to form a turnup portion, a belt comprising a plurality of belt layers arranged outward on the carcass in the radial direction, an annular tread portion disposed outward on the belt in the radial direction, and a pair of sidewall portions extending from both ends of the tread portion; characterized in that said tread portion has a two-layer structure of a cap rubber layer disposed outward in the radial direction and a base rubber layer disposed inward in the radial direction, and an outer surface of said base rubber layer in the radial direction is existent in a position corresponding to not less than 20% of a depth of a main groove formed in said tread portion outward from a bottom of said main groove in the radial direction, and said base rubber layer is compounded with a recrosslinking inhibition assistant selected from a metal salt of dithiophosphoric acid, a thiuram type vulcanization accelerator and a 4-methylbenzothiazole type compound and with aluminium hydroxide as an inorganic compound powder. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the base rubber layer is compounded with 0.5-5.0 parts by weight of the recrosslinking inhibition assistant based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient; and the base rubber layer is compounded with not less than 10 parts by weight of the inorganic compound powder based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient; and the inorganic compound powder is compounded into the base rubber layer in an amount of 10-100 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient and into the cap rubber layer in an amount of not more than 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient, respectively, provided that the compounding ratio of the inorganic compound powder in the base rubber layer is higher than that in the cap rubber layer; and the recrosslinking inhibition assistant is compounded into the cap rubber layer; and the outer surface of the base rubber layer in the radial direction is existent in a position from the bottom of the main groove within a range of 30-90%, preferably 40-60% of the main groove depth; and a volume ratio of cap rubber layer to base rubber layer is 1:0.5-1.0; and the base rubber layer is arranged on a central zone of the tread portion at a width corresponding to 40-80% of a ground contact width of the tread portion; and a volume ratio of cap rubber layer to base rubber layer in each of blocks forming the tread pattern at a distance from the bottom of the groove to the outer surface of the tread portion in the radial direction is 9:1-2:8; and the base rubber layer having a convex structure is a main part of a ground contact region at a middle worn stage and then contacts with the ground as a main part until at least an appearance of slip sign; and a ratio of the base rubber layer contacting with the ground gradually increases as compared with a ratio of the cap rubber layer contacting with the ground with the advance of wearing from the middle worn stage; and the friction coefficient of the base rubber layer on a wet road surface is at least 105% of that of the cap rubber layer; and the cap rubber layer has a thermal curing ratio of 100-160% after a modulus of elasticity at 300% elongation (M300) is held at 100°C for 48 hours and the base rubber layer has a thermal curing ratio of 100-150%, provided that the thermal curing ratio of the base rubber layer is lower than that of the cap rubber layer; and the base rubber layer contains not more than 55 parts by weight of an oil based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient; and the base rubber layer contains short fibers. The term "middle worn stage" used herein means a point of time that the wearing proceeds from the outer surface of the tread portion to a position corresponding to 40-60% of the depth of the main groove in the radial direction of the tire. The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic partial section view of an embodiment of the tread portion in a pneumatic radial tire according to the invention; and Figs. 2a-2c are schematic views illustrating a worn state of the tread portion in the pneumatic radial tire according to the invention, respectively. In an embodiment of the pneumatic radial tire according to the invention, as shown in Fig. 1, a tread portion 1 has a two-layer structure of a cap rubber layer 2 and a base rubber layer 3, in which a particular recrosslinking inhibition assistant and a particular inorganic compound powder are compounded with a rubber composition in at least a base rubber layer. The inorganic compound powder is aluminium hydroxide. The inorganic compound powder is compounded in an amount of not less than 10 parts by weight, preferably 10-100 parts by weight, more particularly 20-70 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. In this way, the gripping force on a wet road surface is made higher and also the wet performances can be maintained at a good state even in the last worn stage. Moreover, if the amount of the inorganic compound powder exceeds 100 parts by weight, the effect of improving the wet performances is saturated and further improvement can not be expected and such an amount is unfavourable in respect of the cost. Further, the inventors have confirmed that the tread rubber is hardened by the recrosslinking between polymers in rubber to change the rubber properties and hence the gripping force of the tire lowers, so that it is important to control the degradation of the wet performances on or after the middle worn stage by inhibiting the recrosslinking. In the pneumatic radial tire according to the invention, therefore, the recrosslinking inhibition assistant is compounded with a rubber composition for the base rubber layer 3 together with aluminium hydroxide as the inorganic compound powder. In this case, the amount of the recrosslinking inhibition assistant compounded is preferably 0.5-5.0 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. When the amount is less than 0.5 part by weight, the effect of inhibiting the recrosslinking is not sufficiently obtained, while when it exceeds 5.0 parts by weight, the improving effect is saturated and further improvement can not be expected. As the recrosslinking inhibition assistant, there is used a metal salt of dithiophosphoric acid, a thiuram type vulcanization accelerator or a 4-methylbenzothiazole type compound. As the metal salt of dithiophosphoric acid, mention may be made of zinc O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-dipropyldithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-dimethyldithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-diethyldithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-bis(4-methylpentyl) dithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-octadecyldithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-dipropyldithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-dimethyldithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-diethyldithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-bis(4-methylpentyl) dithiophosphate, antimony O,O'-octadecyldithiophosphate, copper O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphate, copper O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphate, copper O,O'-dipropyldithiophosphate, copper O,O'-dimethyldithiophosphate, copper O,O'-diethyldithiophosphate, copper O,O'-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphate, copper O,O'-bis(4-methylpentyl) dithiophosphate, copper O,O'-octadecyldithiophosphate, iron O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphate, iron O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphate, iron O,O'-dipropyldithiophosphate, iron O,O'-dimethyldithiophosphate, iron O,O'-diethyldithiophosphate, iron O,O'-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphate, iron O,O'-bis(4-methylpentyl) dithiophosphate, iron O,O'-octadecyldithiophosphate, O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-dipropyldithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-dimethyldithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-diethyldithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-bis(4-methylpentyl) dithiophosphoric disulfide, O,O'-octadecyldithiophhosphoric disulfide, O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-dipropyldithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-dimethyldithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-diethyldithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-bis(4-methylpentyl) dithiophosphoric tetrasulfide, O,O'-octadecyldithiophosphoric tetrasulfide and the like. As the thiuram type vulcanization accelerator, mention may be made of tetramethylthiuram disulfide, tetraethylthiuram disulfide, tetrakis(2-ethylhexyl)thiuram disulfide, tetrabenzylthiuramdisulfide, tetraisobutylthiuram disulfide, tetrabutylthiuram disulfide and the like. As the 4-methylbenzothiazole type compound, mention may be made of 4-methyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 4-ethyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 4-propyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 4-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 4-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 4-propoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 2,2-dithiobis(4-methylbenzothiazole), 2,2-dithiobis(4-ethylbenzothiazole), 2,2-dithiobis(4-propylbenzothiazole), 2,2-dithiobis(4-methoxybenzothiazole), 2,2-dithiobis(4-ethoxybenzothiazole), 2,2-dithiobis(4-propoxybenzothiazole), zinc salt of 4-methyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-ethyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-propyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-propoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-methyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-ethyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-propyl-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-propoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, N-cyclohexyl-4-methyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-ethyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenarnide, N-cyclohexyl-4-propyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-propoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-methyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-ethyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-propyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-propoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-methyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-ethyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-propyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-propoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-methyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-4-ethyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-4-propyl-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-4-propoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenimide, 5-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 6-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 7-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 5-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 6-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 7-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 4-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 5-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 6-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazloe, 7-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, N-tert-butyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-tert-butyl-7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-ethyl-7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl-7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, N,N-dicyclohexyl-7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl sulfenamide, di-4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl disulfide, di-5-methoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-6-methoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-7-methoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-4-butoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-5-butoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-6-butoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, di-7-butoxy-2-benzothiazyl disulfide, zinc salt of 4-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 5-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 6-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 7-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 5-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 6-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 7-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 4-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 5-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 6-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, zinc salt of 7-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 5-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 6-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 7-methoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 5-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 6-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 7-ethoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 4-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 5-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 6-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, copper salt of 7-butoxy-2-mercaptobenzothiazole, N-ethyl-(4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(4-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(5-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(6-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(7-methoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(4-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(5-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(6-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(7-ethoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-ethyl-(7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-tert-butyl-(7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(4-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(5-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(6-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, N-cyclohexyl-(7-butoxy-2-benzothiazolyl) sulfenimide, 2-mercapto-4-methylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-4-ethylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-5-methylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-5-ethylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-6-methylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-6-ethylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-4,5-dimethylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-4,5-diethylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-4-phenylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-5-phenylbenzothiazole, 2-mercapto-6-phenylbenzothiazole, bis-(4-methylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(4-ethylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(5-methylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(4,5-dimethylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(6-methylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(6-ethylbenzothiazlyl-2) disulfide, bis-(4,5-dimethylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(4,5-diethylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(5-phenylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(6-phenylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide and the like. As the recrosslinking inhibition assistant, bis-(4-methylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, bis-(5-methylbenzothiazyl-2) disulfide, mercapto-4-methylbenzothiazole, mercapto-5-methylbenzothiazole, zinc O,O'-dibutyldithiophosphate, zinc O,O'-diisopropyldithiophosphate and the like are preferably among the above compounds. In the invention, the inorganic compound powder may be compounded into the cap rubber layer 2 in an amount of not more than 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. In this case, it is preferable that the compounding ratio of the inorganic compound powder in the base rubber layer 3 is made higher than that in the cap rubber layer 2 for controlling the degradation of the wet performances at the last worn stage. That is, when the inorganic compound powder is compounded into the cap rubber layer in an amount exceeding 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient, the balance of performances between the cap rubber and the base rubber is damaged and also an undesirable result is obtained in an antistatic way. Also, the recrosslinking inhibition assistant may be compounded into the cap rubber layer according to the invention, whereby the degradation of the wet performances can be controlled until the base rubber layer 3 is exposed to the exterior. In the invention, it is preferable to include not less than 70 parts by weight of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient in at least the base rubber layer among the cap rubber layer 2 and the base rubber layer 3. When the amount of SBR is less than 70 parts by weight, it is difficult to obtain the steering stability required in a high running-performance tire. When carbon black is added as a filler, it is preferable that a total amount of the inorganic compound powder and carbon black is 50-130 parts by weight. If the total amount is less than 50 parts by weight, the steering stability can not be improved, while if it exceeds 130 parts by weight, the high-speed durability lowers and also the dispersion of the filler can not be attained and hence the wear resistance is considerably degraded. Preferably, the carbon black used has a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area (N 2 SA) of 80-180 m 2 /g according to ASTM D4820-93 and a dibutylphthalate oil absorption (DBP) of not less than 90 cm 3 /100 g according to ASTM D2414-93. When N 2 SA is less than 80 m 2 /g, the wear resistance is insufficient; while when it exceeds 180 m 2 /g, the heat build-up is degraded and also the dispersion of carbon black is poor to lower the high-speed durability. According to the invention, the base rubber layer 3 is preferably located on a central portion of the tread at a width corresponding to 40-80% of a ground contact width of the tread because the central portion of the tread takes a great part in the wet performances. When the width is less than 40%, even if the base rubber layer is exposed to the exterior, the effect of improving the wet performances can not sufficiently be developed, while when it exceeds 80%, the productivity is undesirably degraded. Moreover, the term "ground contact width" used herein means a value measured when the tire is mounted onto an approved rim. defined in JATMA and contacted with the ground at an internal pressure of 2.0 kgf/cm 2 under a loading corresponding to this internal pressure. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 1, an outer surface S of the base rubber layer 3 in the radial direction is existent outward from a bottom B of a main groove formed in the tread in a position corresponding to at least 20%, preferably 30-90%, more particularly 40-60% of a depth D of the main groove. When the upper end of the base rubber layer 3 is located in a position from the groove bottom to not less than 20% of the groove depth, a portion of the base rubber is exposed on or after the middle worn stage to contribute to the improvement of the wet performances. Particularly, when the upper end of the base rubber layer 3 is within a range of 30-90% of the groove depth from the groove bottom, a given portion of the base rubber is exposed just at the middle worn stage, whereby the object of the invention can sufficiently be attained. Moreover, such an arrangement of the base rubber layer may be attained by optimizing a volume ratio of the cap rubber layer 2 to the base rubber layer 3. In this case, the functions of the cap rubber layer and the base rubber layer can be separated form each other by arranging an effective material onto a portion most contributing to the improvement of the performances. The volume ratio of cap rubber layer 2 to base rubber layer 3 is preferably 1:0.5-1.0, more particularly 1:0.6-1:0.8. If the amount of either cap rubber or base rubber becomes extremely large, the production efficiency lowers from a viewpoint of rubber extrusion rate, so that the volume ratio is desirably maintained at the above range. Moreover, the base rubber is preferably inserted into the cap rubber so that a volume ratio of cap rubber layer to base rubber layer in each of blocks forming the tread pattern at a distance from the bottom of the groove to the outer surface of the tread portion in the radial direction is 9:1-2:8. In this case, the base rubber is gradually exposed at a certain worn stage to gradually improve the wet performances, which is preferable in view of safety. Preferably, the base rubber layer 3 having the above convex structure is a main part of the ground contact region at the middle worn stage and then contacts with the ground as a main part until at least an appearance of slip sign. Similarly, a ratio of the base rubber layer 3 contacting with the ground gradually increases as compared with a ratio of the cap rubber layer contacting with the ground with the advance of wearing from the middle worn stage. The state that the base rubber controlling the degradation of the wet performances gradually appears from the middle worn stage is shown in Figs. 2a-2c. Fig. 2a shows a new tire, Fig. 2b shows a stage of about 50% wearing, and Fig. 2c shows a stage of about 70% wearing. By rendering the tread portion into the above cap/base structure, there can be controlled not only the degradation of the wet performances but also the degradation of silence, ride comfort and the like. In order to largely control the degradation of the wet performances and the like on or after the middle worn stage, it is preferable to set the wet-µ of the base rubber layer to at least 105% of that of the cap rubber layer in addition to the adoption of the above cap/base structure. When the ratio of wet-µ is less than 105%, the balance in the performances between cap rubber and base rubber is undesirably damaged. Furthermore, it is preferable that the cap rubber layer has a thermal curing ratio of 100-160% after a modulus of elasticity at 300% elongation (M300) is held at 100°C for 48 hours and the base rubber layer has a thermal curing ratio of 100-150%, provided that the thermal curing ratio of the base rubber layer is lower than that of the cap rubber layer. When the thermal curing ratio of the cap rubber exceeds 160% or that of the base rubber exceeds 150%, the effect of controlling the degradation of the wet performances is insufficient. The reason why the thermal curing ratio of the base rubber layer is lower than that of the cap rubber layer is due to the fact that the base rubber is used over a long period of time up to last running stage to maintain the effect of controlling the degradation of the wet performances: Also, an amount of oil in the base rubber layer 3 is restricted to not more than 55 parts by weight, preferably not more than 30 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient, whereby the change of rubber properties is lessened. According to the invention, in order to differ the properties between the cap rubber layer 2 and the base rubber layer 3 and particularly control the shrinkage of base rubber to improve the operability in the tire building, short fibers may be compounded into the base rubber layer preferably in an amount of 0.5-5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. The kind of the short fibers is not particularly critical, but the use of polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl, polypropylene polyethylene or the like is preferred. Moreover, the use of the short fibers having about 1-20 deniers is effective to prevent the shrinkage of rubber. Moreover, the rubber composition used for the cap rubber and the base rubber constituting the tread of the pneumatic radial tire according to the invention may be compounded with proper amounts of an antioxidant, a wax, a vulcanization accelerator, a silane coupling agent, a dispersing agent and the like in addition to the above ingredients. In the structure of the tire other than the tread portion, there can be adopted a structure usually used in the conventional pneumatic radial tire. The following examples are given in illustration of the invention and are not intended as limitations thereof. However, the Examples 1 to 13 are outside the scope of the invention claimed. It is only in Example 14 that the base rubber layer contains both the particular recrosslinking inhibition assistant and aluminium hydroxide as an inorganic compound powder. Examples 1-5, Comparative Example 1 Various tires having a tire size of 205/55R16 are prepared by using rubbers IA-IE shown in Table 1 as cap rubber and base rubber in the tread portion of the tire, respectively. Moreover, the measurement of wet-µ with respect to each sample of the rubbers IA-IE is conducted by using a portable skid tester made by Stanley Corporation at 25°C on a surface of a concrete road. The measurement is repeated 10 times per one sample. The wet-µ is represented as an average of 8 measured values other than highest and lowest values by an index on the basis that the rubber composition IA is 100, in which the larger the index value, the better the wet gripping property. Kind of rubber IA IB IC ID IE Compounding recipe (part by weight) SBR 82.5 82.5 82.5 82.5 82.5 SBR 55 55 55 55 55 carbon black 80 55 40 75 55 silica - 25 40 5 - aluminium hydroxide - - - - 25 silane coupling agent - 2.5 4.0 0.5 - aromatic oil 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 Wet-µ (index) 100 106 107 102 106 Then, the wet performances are evaluated by an actual running test with respect to each of the above tires. In this case, the actual running test is carried out by providing two kinds of tire, i.e. a new tire and a tire wherein the tread portion is cut off so as to have a remaining groove depth of 2 mm assuming the last worn stage and running these tires on a wet road surface, during which the handling on wet road surface is evaluated by a professional driver's feeling at 10 points. Moreover, the ground contact width is measured from a foot print on a flat face under conditions that the rim size is 6.5JJx16, an internal pressure is 2.0 kgf/cm 2 and a loading is 520 kg. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2. Comparative Example 1 is a tire having the conventional type tread structure and has a large difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire. In Examples 1, 2 and 4, silica as the inorganic compound powder is compounded into the base rubber, so that the wet performance is high at the worn stage and the difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire is not more than 1.5 and the driver's feeling on such a performance difference is small. A similar result is obtained in Example 5. In Example 3, the silica amount in the base rubber is less, so that the difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire is somewhat large but is smaller than that of Comparative Example 1. Examples 6-8, Comparative Examples 2-3 Various tires having a tire size of 205/55R16 are prepared by using rubbers IIA-IID shown in Table 3 as cap rubber and base rubber in the tread portion of the tire, respectively. The wet-µ of each of the rubbers IIA-IID and wet-µ after a shelf test thereof are measured to obtain results as shown in Table 3. Moreover, the measurement of the wet-µ is carried out by the same method as described in Example 1, and the wet-µ after the shelf test is carried out by the same method as described in Example 1 after the rubber sample is left to stand in an oven at 60°C for 30 days. In any case, the wet-µ is represented by an index on the basis that the rubber composition IIA is 100, in which the larger the index value, the better the wet gripping property. Kind of rubber IIA IIB IIC IID Compounding recipe (part by weight) SBR 110 82.5 82.5 82.5 SBR 0 55 55 55 natural rubber 20 0 0 0 carbon black 80 80 80 80 aromatic oil 15 7.5 7.5 7.5 recrosslinking inhibition assistant - - 0.5 5 Wet-µ (index) 100 107 107 107 Wet-µ after shelf test (index) 92 99 104 105 Then, the wet performances are evaluated by the same method as described in Example 1 with respect to each of the above tires. The evaluation results are shown in Table 4. Comparative Example 2 is a tire having the conventional type tread structure and has a large difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire. In Examples 6 and 7, the recrosslinking inhibition assistant is compounded into the base rubber, so that the wet performance is high at the worn stage and the difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire is not more than 1.0 and the driver's feeling on such a performance difference is small. In Example 8, the difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire is somewhat large as compared with those of the other examples, but the wet performance at the worn stage is maintained at an approximately equal level to that of Example 6. On the contrary, the recrosslinking inhibition assistant,is not compounded into the base rubber in Comparative Example 3, so that the difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire becomes larger. Examples 9-14, Comparative Example 4 Various tires having a tire size of 205/55R16 are prepared by using rubbers IIIA-IIIG shown in Table 5 as cap rubber and base rubber in the tread portion of the tire, respectively. The wet-µ of each of the rubbers IIIA-IIIG is measured by the same method as described in Example 1 to obtain results as shown in Table 5. Moreover, the wet-µ is represented by an index on the basis that the rubber composition IIIA is 100, in which the larger the index value, the better the wet gripping property. As to thermal curing ratio after each of the rubbers IIIA-IIIG is held at 100°C for 48 hours, the hardness (Hd) and modulus of elasticity at 300% elongation (M300) are measured by using a dumbbell-shaped sample of JIS No. 3 according to a test of JIS K6300. The measured values are also shown in Table 5. Kind of rubber IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE IIIF IIIG Compounding (parts by weight) SBR 82.5 82.5 82.5 82.5 82.5 82.5 82.5 SBR 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 carbon black 80 80 55 55 55 55 75 silica - - 25 25 25 - 5 aluminium hydroxide - - - - - 25 - silane coupling agent - - 2.5 2.5 2.5 - 0.5 aromatic oil 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 recrosslinking inhibition assistant - 1.0 - 2.0 - 2.0 2.0 4-methyl-DM - - - - 3.0 - - sulfur 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 Wet-µ (index) 100 100 106 106 106 107 102 Initial hardness (Hd) 60 60 61 61 61 60 60 M300 11.0 11.2 10.5 10.8 11.0 10.0 10.8 After aging at 100°C×48h hardness (Hd) 67 64 68 64 63 63 64 M300 18.2 16.8 17.1 14.6 13.8 13.3 14.7 thermal curing ratio of M300 (%) 165 148 163 135 125 133 136 Then, the wet performances are evaluated by the same method as described in Example 1 with respect to each of the above tires at three kinds of new tire stage, middle worn stage (remaining groove depth: 5 mm, before the exposure of the base rubber) and last worn stage (remaining groove depth: 2 mm). The evaluation results are shown in Table 6. Comparative Example 4 is a tire having the conventional type tread structure and has a large difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire In Example 9, the slight improvement of the wet performance is observed at the last worn stage and the difference of wet performance is small as compared with that of Comparative Example 4. In Examples 10 and 11, the deterioration of wet performance at the middle worn stage is controlled, while the wet performance at the last worn stage is deteriorated, but the difference of wet performance between new tire and worn tire is small as compared with that of Comparative Example 4. In Examples 12, 13 and 14, the wet performance is maintained over a period from the middle worn stage to the last worn stage and the difference of wet performance from new tire stage is very small. As mentioned above, in the pneumatic radial tire according to the invention, the tread portion is rendered into a particular cap/base structure and a particular recrosslinking inhibition assistant and aluminium hydroxide as an inorganic compound powder is compounded into a base rubber, whereby the wet-µ at the last worn stage can effectively be enhanced without lowering the productivity to control the degradation of the wet performances. Furthermore, the silence and ride comfort against vibrations on or after the middle worn stage are simultaneously improved.

Claims: A pneumatic radial tire comprising a pair of ring-shaped bead cores, bead fillers disposed on the bead cores, a carcass toroidally extending between the bead cores and comprised of a rubberized ply containing plural cords arranged side by side in a radial direction and wound around each bead core from the inside toward the outside thereof to form a turnup portion, a belt comprising a plurality of belt layers arranged outward on the carcass in the radial direction, an annular tread portion (1) disposed outward on the belt in the radial direction, and a pair of sidewall portions extending from both ends of the tread portion; said tread portion having a two-layer structure of a cap rubber layer (2) disposed outward in the radial direction and a base rubber layer (3) disposed inward in the radial direction, and an outer surface (S) of said base rubber layer (3) in the radial direction is existent in a position corresponding to not less than 20% of a depth (D) of a main groove formed in said tread portion outward from a bottom (B) of said main groove in the radial direction, and characterized in that said base rubber layer (3) is compounded with a recrosslinking inhibition assistant selected from a metal salt of dithiophosphoric acid, a thiuram type vulcanization accelerator and a 4-methylbenzothiazole type compound and with aluminum hydroxide as an inorganic compound powder. A tire as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the base rubber layer (3) is compounded with 0.5-5.0 parts by weight of recrosslinking inhibition assistant based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. A tire as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base rubber layer (3) is compounded with not less than 10 parts by weight of inorganic compound powder based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inorganic compound powder is compounded into the base rubber layer (3) in an amount of 10-100 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient and into the cap rubber layer (2) in an amount of not more than 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient, respectively, provided that the compounding ratio of the inorganic compound powder in the base rubber layer is higher than that in the cap rubber layer. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the recrosslinking inhibition assistant is compounded into the cap rubber layer (2). A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the outer surface (S) of the base rubber layer (3) in the radial direction is existent in a position from the bottom (B) of the main groove within a range of 30-90% of the main groove depth (D). A tire as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the outer surface of the base rubber layer (3) in the radial direction is existent in a position from the bottom (B) of the main groove within a range of 40-60% of the main groove depth (D). A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a volume ratio of cap rubber layer (2) to base rubber layer (3) is 1:0.5-1.0. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the base rubber layer (3) is arranged on a central zone of the tread portion (1) at a width corresponding to 40-80% of a ground contact width of the tread portion. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a volume ratio of cap rubber layer (2) to base rubber layer (3) in each of blocks forming the tread pattern at a distance from the bottom (B) of the groove to the outer surface of the tread portion (1) in the radial direction is 9:1-2:8. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the base rubber layer (3) has a convex structure such that the base rubber layer is higher in a portion near to the center of a block than in a portion near to a groove between blocks, and in that said convex structure is a main part of a ground contact region at a middle worn stage and then contacts with the ground as a main part until at least an appearance of slip sign. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a ratio of the base rubber layer (3) contacting with the ground gradually increases as compared with a ratio of the cap rubber layer (2) contacting with the ground with the advance of wearing from the middle worn stage. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the friction coefficient of the base rubber layer (3) on a wet road surface is at least 105% of that of the cap rubber layer (2). A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the cap rubber layer (2) has a thermal curing ratio of 100-160% after a modulus of elasticity at 300% elongation (M300) is held at 100°C for 48 hours and the base rubber layer (3) has a thermal curing ratio of 100-150%, provided that the thermal curing ratio of the base rubber layer is lower than that of the cap rubber layer. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the base rubber layer (3) contains not more than 55 parts by weight of an oil based on 100 parts by weight of rubber ingredient. A tire as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the base rubber layer (3) contains short fibers.

Inventors: HAYASHI KAZUO, IWASAKI SHIZUO, SASAKA NAOHIRO, YAGAWA KAZUO, HAYASHI, KAZUO, IWASAKI, SHIZUO, SASAKA, NAOHIRO, YAGAWA, KAZUO
Applicants: BRIDGESTONE CORP, BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B60C11
IPC codes: B60C1, B60C11