Functionalized Solution SBR Produced in a Continuous Process and its Effects on Tire Properties

Auto manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve gas mileage in automobiles. One area that greatly affects gas mileage on cars is the tire.  In return, tire manufacturers are in a race to improve the rolling resistance of tires. One way that tire compounders have found to drastically improve rolling resistance is to use solution SBR with silica verse the traditional emulsion SBR and carbon black. However, the use of silica presents several issues during processing and mixing.  The silica is not very compatible with the polymer and requires excessive amounts of mixing plus a silane additive, to get the silica properly incorporated.  A method used to improve the compatibility of the silica is with functionalization of the SSBR.

This paper will look at several different functionalized SSBR synthesized in a continuous process which is more efficient than a batch process.  Each of these functionalized SSBR will then be tested in tire compounds to see what effects the functionalization has on the tire properties.