TYRE TREAD REINFORCED WITH SILICA HAVING A LOW SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA

摘要

The invention relates to a tyre tread comprising an elastomer composition reinforced with an inorganic filler and made from at least: (i) a diene elastomer; (ii) by way of a reinforcing inorganic filler, more than 80 pce of a silica having a low specific surface area and the following characteristics: (a) a BET specific surface area of less than 130 m<2>/g; (b) an average particle size dw of between 30 and 300 nm; (iii) a coupling agent that is used to connect the reinforcing inorganic filler and the diene elastomer; (iv) and a vulcanisation system comprising sulphur, a vulcanisation accelerator and, by way of a vulcanising activator, between 0.5 and 1.5 pce of zinc. Preferably, said silica has a deagglomeration speed alpha that is greater than 5.10<3> mu m<1>/min (measured with the deagglomeration test using ultrasound). In comparison to a standard tyre tread for green tyres reinforced with a silica having a higher specific surface area, the inventive tyre tread is provided with an improved performance trade-off (wear resistance/rolling resistance/wet surface adhesion). Owing to the low zinc level, an increase in induction times during vulcanisation can be mitigated when a silica having a low specific surface area is used.