US5576104A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Elastomers containing partially oriented reinforcing fibers, tires made using said elastomers, and a method therefor
Assignee: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co
•
Filing: 1994-07-01
•
Granted: 1996-11-19
•
Expires: 2014-07-01
Abstract
Abstract Partially oriented yarns (POY), when processed into short fibers and used as a fiber reinforcement in an elastomer, have been found to demonstrate reduced crack propagation in the elastomer. POY reinforced elastomers can be used in tires to replace cord reinforced components, and for example, can be used in the tread base of a tire, obviating the need for an overlay ply. In one embodiment it has been found that the properties of a fiber reinforced elastomer can be optimized by using a mixture of partially oriented fibers and fibrillated pulp fibers, such as pulped high modulus rigid rod liquid crystalline fibers, as the fiber reinforcement.
Inventors
- 👤 Alfredo G. Causa
- 👤 Christina H. Obermaier
- 👤 Marc Borowczak
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 01:48
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60C; B60C1/00; B60C9/00; B60C9/18; B60C9/1821; B60C1/0016; B60C11/00; B60C11/14; C; C08; C08L; C08L21/00; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T152/00; Y10T152/10; Y10T152/10495; Y10T152/10513; Y10T152/10765; Y10T152/1081; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24058; Y10T428/24124; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249924; Y10T428/249933; Y10T428/249934; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2904; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2918; Y10T428/2927; Y10T428/2933; Y10T428/294; Y10T428/2942; Y10T428/2945; Y10T428/2964; Y10T428/2967; Y10T428/2969; Y10T428/298
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
136 words
A pneumatic tire having a tread base comprising a vulcanizable elastomeric matrix material having dispersed therein 4 to 8 phr partially oriented fibers having a modulus of less than 10 GPa, said partially oriented fibers having a length of about 0.2 to 12 mm, a diameter of about 0.005 to 0.03 mm and an aspect ratio of 25 to 1000, said fibers being selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters and polyolefins, and wherein said elastomer matrix material with said fibers has a tensile modulus at 50% elongation of 2.5 to 5 MPa, a cut growth rate of 4 to 6×10 2 mm/Mc, a hysteresis of 1.75 to 1.85×10 2 KPa, a tensile strength of 11 to 15 MPa, an ultimate elongation of 400 to 600%, and a Shore A hardness of 53 to 68.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
136 words
A pneumatic tire having a tread base comprising a vulcanizable elastomeric matrix material having dispersed therein 4 to 8 phr partially oriented fibers having a modulus of less than 10 GPa, said partially oriented fibers having a length of about 0.2 to 12 mm, a diameter of about 0.005 to 0.03 mm and an aspect ratio of 25 to 1000, said fibers being selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters and polyolefins, and wherein said elastomer matrix material with said fibers has a tensile modulus at 50% elongation of 2.5 to 5 MPa, a cut growth rate of 4 to 6×10 2 mm/Mc, a hysteresis of 1.75 to 1.85×10 2 KPa, a tensile strength of 11 to 15 MPa, an ultimate elongation of 400 to 600%, and a Shore A hardness of 53 to 68.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The tire according to claim 1 wherein said partially oriented fibers comprise about 4 to about 8 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said vulcanizable elastomeric matrix material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The tire according to claim 1 wherein said partially oriented fiber has a modulus of less than about 6 GPa.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The composition according to claim 1 wherein said partially oriented fiber has a modulus of about 2 GPa.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The tire according to claim 1 in which said vulcanizable elastomeric matrix material is selected from the group consisting of natural rubber/polybutadiene rubber, polyisoprene, styrene butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, and mixtures and blends thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The tire according to claim 1 wherein said partially oriented fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyamide, polyester, polyolefin and mixtures thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
213 words
A pneumatic tire having a tread base comprising a cured elastomeric matrix having dispersed therein 0.5 to 6 phr partially oriented fibers and 0.5 to 8 phr fibrillated pulp fibers, said partially oriented fibers having a modulus of less than 10 GPa, a length of about 0.2 to 12 mm, a diameter of about 0.005 to 0.03 mm and an aspect ratio of 25 to 1000, said partially oriented fibers being selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters and polyolefins, and said fibrillated pulp fibers having a length of about 0.2 to 5 mm, a diameter of about 0.0005 to 0.02 mm and an aspect ratio of 25 to 1000, said fibrillated pulp fiber being selected from the group consisting of aromatic copolyester, p-aramid, liquid crystalline cellulosic fibers, rigid rod aromatic heterocyclic liquid crystalline fibers, gel spun fibers, wet spun acrylic fibers, superoriented aromatic copolyamide fibers and mixtures thereof, and wherein said elastomer matrix material with said fibers has a tensile modulus at 50% elongation of 1 to 7 MPa, a cut growth rate of 1 to 10×10 2 mm/Mc, a hysteresis of 1.5 to 3×10 2 KPa, a tensile strength of 9 to 15 MPa, an ultimate elongation of 300 to 600%, and a Shore A hardness of 52 to 70.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
213 words
A pneumatic tire having a tread base comprising a cured elastomeric matrix having dispersed therein 0.5 to 6 phr partially oriented fibers and 0.5 to 8 phr fibrillated pulp fibers, said partially oriented fibers having a modulus of less than 10 GPa, a length of about 0.2 to 12 mm, a diameter of about 0.005 to 0.03 mm and an aspect ratio of 25 to 1000, said partially oriented fibers being selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyesters and polyolefins, and said fibrillated pulp fibers having a length of about 0.2 to 5 mm, a diameter of about 0.0005 to 0.02 mm and an aspect ratio of 25 to 1000, said fibrillated pulp fiber being selected from the group consisting of aromatic copolyester, p-aramid, liquid crystalline cellulosic fibers, rigid rod aromatic heterocyclic liquid crystalline fibers, gel spun fibers, wet spun acrylic fibers, superoriented aromatic copolyamide fibers and mixtures thereof, and wherein said elastomer matrix material with said fibers has a tensile modulus at 50% elongation of 1 to 7 MPa, a cut growth rate of 1 to 10×10 2 mm/Mc, a hysteresis of 1.5 to 3×10 2 KPa, a tensile strength of 9 to 15 MPa, an ultimate elongation of 300 to 600%, and a Shore A hardness of 52 to 70.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
The tire according to claim 7 wherein said partially oriented fibers comprise about 0.5 to 10 phr, and said fibrillated pulp fibers comprise about 0.5 to 8 phr of said elastomeric material, wherein the total amount of the fiber reinforcement is about 1-14 phr.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The tire according to claim 7 wherein said partially oriented fiber has a modulus of less than about 6 GPa.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The tire according to claim 7 wherein said partially oriented fiber has a modulus of about 2 GPa.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The tire according to claim 7 which comprises 3 phr POY fibers and 3 phr fibrillated pulp fibers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The tire according to claim 7 wherein said partially oriented fibers are selected from the group consisting of aliphatic polyamide, polyester, polyolefin and mixtures thereof.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The tire according to claim 7 wherein said partially oriented fiber has a modulus of less than about 6 GPa.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The tire according to claim 7 wherein said partially oriented fiber has a modulus of about 2 GPa.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4514541A
Cited
US5225457A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-11-19 | 2000-05-20 | 2000-11-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-11-19 | 2004-05-20 | 2004-11-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-11-19 | 2008-05-20 | 2008-11-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |