Rubber composition containing silica reinforcement and functionalized crosslinks and products with component thereof

摘要

The invention relates to a rubber composition which contains silica reinforcement and functionalized crosslinks, particularly crosslinked functionalized precipitated silica, including sulfur crosslinked functionalized silica and associated cured rubber compositions, and to articles of manufacture having a component thereof such as, for example tires. A dimercaptothiadiazole is used to form the crosslinked network within the rubber composition. The mercapto moieties of said dimercaptothiadiazole are desirably protected from prematurely reacting with, for example, diene-based elastomers and sulfur-containing silica coupling agents by pre-reaction with an aromatic carboxylic acid chloride or by reacting in situ with an aromatic carboxylic acid.

主权项

1. A process of preparing a rubber composition by blending:
(A) conjugated diene-based elastomer consisting of at least one of cis 1,4-polyisoprene, cis 1,4-polybutadiene and styrene/butadiene copolymer; (B) reinforcing filler comprised of a combination of precipitated silica and rubber reinforcing carbon black, (C) sulfur-containing silica coupling agent as a bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)polysulfide containing an average of from about 2 to about 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge, (D) a crosslinked network forming compound consisting of dimercaptothiadiazole reactive with hydroxyl groups contained on said precipitated silica, reactive with said silica coupling agent and reactive with said diene-based elastomer(s), wherein said dimercaptothiadiazole is a product of dimercaptothiadiazole treated in situ within the rubber composition with an aromatic carboxylic acid.