Synthetic latex foam rubber and method of making same

Claim 1

a fluid aqueous colloidal dispersion of rigid particles of a rubber reinforcing substance having an average particle size of no more than about 2,000 angstroms to provide a latex mixture, the disperse phase of said latex mixture being composed of discrete particles of synthetic rubber and discrete particles of reinforcing substance, B. increasing the average particle size of said latex to above 1,000 angstroms by an agglomerating treatment whereby said disperse phase of said latex mixture is composed predominently of composite spherical particles containing both synthetic rubber and rubber reinforcing substance, C. incorporating into the agglomerated latex vulcanizing ingredients, D. frothing said agglomerated latex, E. gelling the frothed latex, and F. vulcanizing the gelled latex.

Claim 23

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the surfaces of the polymer particles are incompletely covered with emulsifier and the polymer constituent of which contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises adding an aqueous dispersion of an inorganic reinforcing pigment to the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, freezing said latex with said inorganic reinforcing pigment dispersion therein to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the latex coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass of latex by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 24

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the surfaces of the polymer particles are incompletely covered with emulsifier and the polymer constituent of which contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises adding an aqueous dispersion of an inorganic reinforcing pigment to the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, reducing the pH of the said latex to a pH value above pH values sufficient to cause coagulation of the said latex, freezing said latex with said inorganic reinforcing pigment dispersion therein to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the latex coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass of latex by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 25

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the surfaces of the polymer particles are incompletely covered with emulsifier and the polymer constituent of which contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises adding an aqueous dispersion of an inorganic reinforcing pigment having an average particle size of less than 2,000 A. to the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, freezing said latex with said inorganic reinforcing pigment dispersion therein to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the latex coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass of latex by completely thawing the frOzen mass.

Claim 26

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene-styrene copolymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene-styrene copolymer synthetic latex in which the surfaces of the polymer particles are incompletely covered with emulsifier and the butadiene-styrene copolymer constituent of which contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises adding an aqueous dispersion of an inorganic reinforcing pigment to the said butadiene-styrene copolymer latex, freezing said latex with said inorganic reinforcing pigment dispersion therein to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the latex coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass of latex by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 27

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene-styrene copolymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene-styrene copolymer synthetic latex in which the surfaces of the polymer particles are incompletely covered with an emulsifier and the butadiene-styrene copolymer constituent of which contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises adding an aqueous dispersion of an inorganic reinforcing pigment to the said butadiene-styrene copolymer latex, reducing the pH of the said latex to a pH value above pH values sufficient to cause coagulation of the said latex, freezing said latex with said inorganic reinforcing pigment dispersion therein to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the latex coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass of latex by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 28

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene-styrene copolymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene-styrene copolymer synthetic latex in which the surfaces of the polymer particles are incompletely covered with an emulsifier and the butadiene-styrene copolymer constituent of which contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises adding an aqueous dispersion of an inorganic reinforcing pigment having an average particle size of less than 2,000 A. to the said butadiene-styrene copolymer latex, freezing said latex with said inorganic reinforcing pigment dispersion therein to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the latex coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass of latex by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 29

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the polymer constituent contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises mixing an aqueous dispersion of a resinous polymer selected from the group consisting of resinous homopolymers having a refractive index at 20* C. for the sodium D line of less than 1.5900 as determined by A.S.T.M. Procedure No. D-542 and having a second order transition temperature above room temperature and resinous interpolymers having a second order transition temperature above room temperature with the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, the emulsifier present in the resulting mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion being insufficient to completely cover the surface area of the polymer particles of the mixture, freezing said mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the said mixture coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 30

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the polymer constituent contains at least 51 percent by weigHt of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises mixing an aqueous dispersion of a resinous polymer selected from the group consisting of resinous homopolymers having a refractive index at 20* C. of less than 1.5900 as determined by A.S.T.M. Procedure No. D-542 and having a second order transition temperature above room temperature and resinous interpolymers having a second order transition temperature above room temperature with the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, the emulsifier present in the resulting mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion being insufficient to completely cover the surface area of the polymer particles of the mixture, reducing the pH of the said mixture to a pH value above pH values sufficient to cause coagulation of the said mixture, freezing said mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the said mixture coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 31

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the polymer constituent contains at least 51% by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises mixing an aqueous dispersion of a resinous polymer having an average particle size of less than 2, 000 A. with said emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex, said resinous polymer being selected from the group consisting of resinous homopolymers having a refractive index at 20* C. for the sodium D line of less than 1.5900 as determined by A.S.T.M. Procedure No. D-542 and having a second order transition temperature above room temperature and resinous interpolymers having a second order transition temperature above room temperature, the emulsifier present in the resulting mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion being insufficient to completely cover the surface area of the polymer particles of the mixture, freezing said mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the said mixture coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 32

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the polymer constituent contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises mixing an aqueous dispersion of a resinous homopolymer having a refractive index at 20* C. for the sodium D line of less than 1.5900 as determined by A.S.T.M. Procedure No. D-542 and having a second order transition temperature above room temperature with the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, the emulsifier present in the resulting mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion being insufficient to completley cover the surface area of the polymer particles of the mixture, freezing said mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the said mixture coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass by completely thawing the frozen mass.

Claim 33

A method for internally reinforcing butadiene hydrocarbon polymer particles of an emulsion-polymerized butadiene hydrocarbon polymer synthetic latex in which the polymer constituent contains at least 51 percent by weight of a bound butadiene-1,3 hydrocarbon which comprises mixing an aqueous dispersion of a resinous interpolymer having a second order transition temperature above room temperatUre with the said butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex, the emulsifier present in the resulting mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion being insufficient to completely cover the surface area of the polymer particles of the mixture, freezing said mixture of butadiene hydrocarbon polymer latex and resinous polymer dispersion to a solid mass at a temperature above temperatures at which the said mixture coagulates, and reconstituting a fluid latex from the frozen mass by completely thawing the frozen mass.