PAPER CANCELLED: Eastman Acena(TM) Modified Cellulose Esters for Improved Tire Performance

Cellulose esters are thermoplastic polymers largely derived from natural resources. For use as tire additives, the cellulose ester is modified to enable processing and dispersion in rubber compounds under typical mixing conditions. The addition of 3-10 phr of Eastman Acena™ modified cellulose ester to a standard silica-filled tread compounds is evaluated, and significant improvement in low strain modulus is observed. Tire test results show improved handling and cornering coefficient performance with minimal trade-off in rolling resistance while maintaining wet traction and wear. Acena™ modified cellulose esters can be applied to HP/UHP/summer tire formulations to recover cornering stiffness lost when using rolling resistance reduction technologies.