Method of foaming blend of crystalline 1-olefin polymer and rubber and product obtained thereof

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PREPARING AN IMPROVED CELLULAR CURED RUBBERY PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES BLENDING 0.5 TO 40 WEIGHT PARTS OF A POLYMER PREPARED FROM 1-OLEFIN MONOMERS COMPRISING AT LEAST 90 WEIGHT PERCENT ETHYLENE AND SAID POLYMER HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN THE RANGE OF 0.94 TO 0.96 WITH 99.5 TO 60 WEIGHT PARTS OF AN UNCURED RUBBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NATURAL RUBBER AND SYNTHETIC RUBBERS, SAID SYNTHETIC RUBBERS BEING PREPARED FROM MONOMERS COMPRISING AT LEAST 50 WEIGHT PERCENT CONJUGATED DIENE, SAID BLENDING BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE SOFTENING POINT OF SAID ETHYLENE POLYMER, INCORPORATING THEREIN VULCANIZING AGENT AND 1 TO 40 WEIGHT PARTS OF A SOLID HEAT DECOMPOSABLE BLOWING AGENT PER 100 PARTS OF RUBBER PLUS 1-OLEFIN POLYMER, SHAPING THE BLEND AND THEREAFTER HEATING SAID BLEND AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO RELEASE GAS FROM SAID BLOWING AGENT AND FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO VULCANIZE SAID RUBBERPOLYMER BLEND.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR PREPARING AN IMPROVED CELLULAR CURED RUBBERY PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES BLENDING 0.5 TO 40 WEIGHT PARTS OF A POLYMER PREPARED FROM 1-OLEFIN MONOMERS COMPRISING AT LEAST 90 WEIGHT PERCENT ETHYLENE AND SAID POLYMER HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN THE RANGE OF 0.94 TO 0.96 WITH 99.5 TO 60 WEIGHT PARTS OF AN UNCURED RUBBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NATURAL RUBBER AND SYNTHETIC RUBBERS, SAID SYNTHETIC RUBBERS BEING PREPARED FROM MONOMERS COMPRISING AT LEAST 50 WEIGHT PERCENT CONJUGATED DIENE, SAID BLENDING BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE SOFTENING POINT OF SAID ETHYLENE POLYMER, INCORPORATING THEREIN VULCANIZING AGENT AND 1 TO 40 WEIGHT PARTS OF A SOLID HEAT DECOMPOSABLE BLOWING AGENT PER 100 PARTS OF RUBBER PLUS 1-OLEFIN POLYMER, SHAPING THE BLEND AND THEREAFTER HEATING SAID BLEND AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO RELEASE GAS FROM SAID BLOWING AGENT AND FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO VULCANIZE SAID RUBBERPOLYMER BLEND.