JP2006249365A - Rubber composition and pneumatic tire obtained using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rubber composition that permits enhancement in steering stability, failure characteristics and abrasion resistance of a tire when used as a tread rubber for a tire. <P>SOLUTION: The rubber composition comprises: 100 pts.mass of a rubber component comprising 60-95 mass% of a styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) having a weight-average molecular weight of 300,000-4,000,000 in terms of polystyrene and 5-40 mass% of a polybutadiene rubber (B) having a weight-average molecular weight of at least 400,000 in terms of polystyrene and a cis-1,4-linkage content of at least 70%; and incorporated therewith, 10-200 pts.mass of a liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) having a weight-average molecular weight of 5,000-200,000 in terms of polystyrene. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rubber composition and a pneumatic tire using the rubber composition in a tread rubber. Particularly, by using the rubber composition in a tread rubber, the handling stability, wear resistance and fracture characteristics of the tire can be highly balanced. It relates to a possible rubber composition.

  In response to the evolution of advanced power performance of automobiles in recent years, more excellent handling stability, particularly handling stability on dry road surfaces, has been required as a tire characteristic. On the other hand, various techniques for improving the steering stability of tires have been developed so far. Here, it is known that loss characteristics (tan δ) above room temperature are generally important as a development index of a rubber composition related to the steering stability of a tire, and in order to improve the steering stability of a tire. It is effective to increase the hysteresis loss at room temperature or higher of the rubber composition used for the tire tread rubber.

  On the other hand, as a technique for increasing the hysteresis loss of a rubber composition, a technique using a liquid polymer having a weight average molecular weight of tens of thousands is known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, since the liquid polymer has a weight average molecular weight as low as tens of thousands, the hysteresis loss of the rubber composition is increased, and at the same time, the wear resistance and fracture characteristics of the rubber composition are decreased. there were.

  On the other hand, in recent years, an increasing number of consumers place importance on the economics and safety of tires, improving the wear resistance of tires from the viewpoint of economy, and improving the fracture characteristics of tires from the viewpoint of safety It is demanded to make it.

  In contrast, in the past, truck and bus tires (TBR) and the like have a large amount of polybutadiene rubber (high cis BR) having a high cis-1,4 bond content having stretch crystallinity to improve wear resistance. Although the used rubber composition may be applied to a tread rubber, the high cis BR has a low glass transition point (Tg), and greatly reduces the hysteresis loss of the rubber composition. Therefore, when a rubber composition containing high cis BR is used for the tread rubber, there is a problem that the steering stability of the tire cannot be sufficiently ensured.

JP-A-61-203145 JP 63-101440 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a rubber composition that solves the above-described problems of the prior art and can improve the steering stability, fracture characteristics, and wear resistance of the tire when used in a tread rubber of a tire. There is to do. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire using such a rubber composition as a tread rubber, in which steering stability, wear resistance and fracture characteristics are highly balanced.

  As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors have found that a styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (SBR) having a specific molecular weight and a polybutadiene rubber (BR) having a specific molecular weight and a cis-1,4 bond content. It has been found that a rubber composition in which a liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer having a specific molecular weight is blended with a rubber component containing a specific ratio in a specific ratio has high hysteresis loss and excellent wear resistance and fracture characteristics. The present invention has been completed.

  That is, the rubber composition of the present invention has a styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) having a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 300,000 to 4,000,000, 60 to 95% by mass, a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 400,000 or more, and cis-1, 4 Liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) having a polystyrene-reduced weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 200,000 per 100 parts by mass of a rubber component consisting of 5 to 40% by mass of polybutadiene rubber (B) having a bond content of 70% or more It is characterized by blending 10 to 200 parts by mass. Here, the polystyrene-reduced weight average molecular weight is a value measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is liquid at room temperature (25 ° C.).

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) preferably has a bound styrene content of 20 to 50% by mass. In this case, it is possible to improve the wear resistance while ensuring the fracture characteristics of the rubber composition.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) preferably has a vinyl bond content in the butadiene portion of 30 to 60%. In this case, since the wet skid resistance and wear resistance of the rubber composition are high, the steering stability and wear resistance of the tire can be sufficiently improved.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, the polybutadiene rubber (B) preferably has a cis-1,4 bond content of 90% or more. In this case, since the stretched crystallinity of the polybutadiene rubber (B) is very high, the wear resistance of the rubber composition can be greatly improved.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) preferably has a bound styrene content of 20 to 70% by mass. In this case, the wet skid resistance and dry grip property of the rubber composition are high, and the steering stability of the tire can be sufficiently improved.

  In a preferred example of the rubber composition of the present invention, the amount of the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is 20 to 100 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component. In this case, the steering stability of the tire can be sufficiently improved while sufficiently securing the productivity of the rubber composition.

  The pneumatic tire of the present invention is characterized in that the rubber composition is used for a tread rubber.

  According to the present invention, a rubber component containing a specific molecular weight styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) and a specific molecular weight and polybutadiene rubber (B) having a cis-1,4 bond content in a specific ratio is specified. It is possible to provide a rubber composition comprising the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) having a molecular weight of 5%, which can improve the steering stability, fracture characteristics and abrasion resistance of the tire. Moreover, the pneumatic tire which used such a rubber composition for tread rubber and was highly balanced in handling stability, abrasion resistance, and fracture characteristics can be provided.

  The present invention is described in detail below. The rubber composition of the present invention comprises 60 to 95% by mass of a styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) having a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 300,000 to 4,000,000, a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 400,000 or more, and a cis-1,4 bond. A liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) 10 to 10 parts by weight in terms of polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 200,000 with respect to 100 parts by weight of a rubber component consisting of 5 to 40% by weight of polybutadiene rubber (B) 70% or more. 200 parts by mass is blended.

  As described above, the wear resistance of the rubber composition can be improved by using the polybutadiene rubber (B) having a stretched crystallinity and a high cis-1,4 bond content. Since rubber (B) has a low glass transition point, the hysteresis loss (tan δ) of the rubber composition at room temperature or higher is reduced. In contrast, in the rubber composition of the present invention, the wear resistance is improved by using a liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) having a weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 200,000 in addition to the polybutadiene rubber (B). In addition, hysteresis loss at room temperature or higher is also improved. Further, since the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is excellent in compatibility with the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) and the polybutadiene rubber (B), the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C). In addition to wear resistance, the rubber composition of the present invention containing can sufficiently ensure fracture characteristics. Therefore, by using the rubber composition of the present invention for the tread rubber of a pneumatic tire, the handling stability and wear resistance (economic efficiency) are greatly improved while sufficiently ensuring the fracture characteristics (safety) of the tire. Can be made. Moreover, since the rubber composition of this invention has the above characteristics, it can be suitably applied to belts and various industrial rubber articles.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, if the ratio of the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) in the rubber component of the matrix is less than 60% by mass, the hysteresis loss and fracture characteristics of the rubber composition are insufficient, and the steering of the tire Sufficient stability and fracture characteristics cannot be ensured. If the proportion of the polybutadiene rubber (B) in the rubber component is less than 5% by mass, the wear resistance of the rubber composition cannot be sufficiently improved. On the other hand, if the proportion exceeds 40% by mass, the rubber composition As a result, the glass transition point (Tg) of the tire is greatly lowered, the hysteresis loss is lowered, and the steering stability of the tire cannot be sufficiently ensured.

  The styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) used in the rubber composition of the present invention has an effect of improving the steering stability (grip property) and fracture characteristics of a tire, and a part thereof is a polyfunctional modifier. For example, it may be modified with tin tetrachloride or the like and may have a branched structure. The styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) is required to have a polystyrene-converted weight average molecular weight of 300,000 to 4,000,000 as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). If the polystyrene-equivalent weight average molecular weight of the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) is less than 300,000, the fracture characteristics of the rubber composition are lowered. On the other hand, if it exceeds 4,000,000, the viscosity of the polymerization solution becomes too high and the productivity is low. Become.

The styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) preferably has a bound styrene content of 20 to 50% by mass. If the amount of bound styrene of the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) is less than 20% by mass, the fracture characteristics of the rubber composition will be reduced, whereas if it exceeds 50% by mass, the wear resistance of the rubber composition will be reduced. . The amount of bound styrene can be calculated, for example, from the integral ratio of ¹ H-NMR spectrum.

  Furthermore, the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) preferably has a vinyl bond content in the butadiene portion of 30 to 60%. If the vinyl bond content in the butadiene portion of the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) is less than 30%, the wet skid resistance of the rubber composition is insufficient, so that the steering stability of the tire can be sufficiently improved. On the other hand, if it exceeds 60%, the wear resistance of the rubber composition is lowered. In addition, the vinyl bond amount of a butadiene part can be analyzed by an infrared method, for example.

  The polybutadiene rubber (B) used in the rubber composition of the present invention has an effect of improving the wear resistance of the rubber composition and the tire, and a part thereof is a polyfunctional modifier such as tin tetrachloride. It may be modified and have a branched structure. The polybutadiene rubber (B) requires a polystyrene-reduced weight average molecular weight measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of not less than 400,000 and a cis-1,4 bond content of not less than 70%. It is preferable that the 4-bond content is 90% or more. When the polystyrene-converted weight average molecular weight of the polybutadiene rubber (B) is less than 400,000, the reinforcing effect due to the entanglement of the polybutadiene chains cannot be obtained sufficiently. If the polybutadiene rubber (B) has a cis-1,4 bond content of less than 70%, sufficient stretch crystallinity cannot be ensured, and the wear resistance cannot be sufficiently improved.

  The liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) used in the rubber composition of the present invention is required to have a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 200,000 as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). When the weight average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene of the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is less than 5,000, the wet skid resistance and the dry grip property of the rubber composition are insufficient, so that the steering stability of the tire is sufficiently improved. In the case where the rubber composition exceeds 200,000, the wet skid resistance and dry grip property of the rubber composition are insufficient, so that the steering stability of the tire cannot be sufficiently improved.

  The liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) preferably has a bound styrene content of 20 to 70% by mass. If the amount of bound styrene in the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is less than 20% by mass, the wet skid resistance and dry grip properties of the rubber composition are insufficient, so that the steering stability of the tire is sufficiently improved. On the other hand, if it exceeds 70% by mass, the rubber composition becomes hard because it becomes resinous, wet skid resistance and dry grip properties tend to deteriorate, and the steering stability of the tire tends to decrease.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is used with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component of the matrix composed of the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) and the polybutadiene rubber (B). Is required to be blended at a ratio of 10 to 200 parts by mass, and preferably at a ratio of 20 to 100 parts by mass. If the blending amount of the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is less than 10 parts by mass, the steering stability (grip property) of the tire cannot be sufficiently improved, while if it exceeds 200 parts by mass, the rubber composition The Mooney viscosity of the product becomes too low and the productivity deteriorates.

  The styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) is a copolymer of styrene and 1,3-butadiene by anionic polymerization using a lithium-based polymerization initiator in a hydrocarbon solvent in the presence of ether or tertiary amine. It is possible to use a commercially available product. Here, the hydrocarbon solvent is not particularly limited, but cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons such as cyclohexane, methylcyclopentane, cyclooctane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, etc. Aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene can be used. These hydrocarbons may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Of these hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons and alicyclic hydrocarbons are preferred.

  The lithium-based polymerization initiator is preferably an organic lithium compound. Examples of the organic lithium compound include alkyl lithium such as ethyl lithium, propyl lithium, n-butyl lithium, sec-butyl lithium, and t-butyl lithium; phenyl Aryl lithium such as lithium and tolyl lithium; Alkenyl lithium such as vinyl lithium and propenyl lithium; Alkylene dilithium such as tetramethylene dilithium, pentamethylene dilithium, hexamethylene dilithium and decamethylene dilithium; 1,3-dilithio In addition to arylene lithium such as benzene and 1,4-dilithiobenzene; 1,3,5-trilithiocyclohexane, 1,2,5-trilithionaphthalene, 1,3,5,8-tetralithiodecane, 1 , 2,3,5-tetralithio-4-hexyl-anthracene, etc. It is below. Among these, n-butyllithium, sec-butyllithium, t-butyllithium and tetramethylenedilithium are preferable, and n-butyllithium is particularly preferable. The amount of the lithium-based polymerization initiator used is determined by the polymerization rate in the reaction operation and the molecular weight of the polymer to be produced, and is usually preferably in the range of 0.02 to 5 mg as a lithium atom per 100 g of monomer, and in the range of 0.05 to 2 mg. Further preferred.

  The polymerization reaction for obtaining the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) can be performed by either a batch polymerization method or a continuous polymerization method. The polymerization temperature in the polymerization reaction is preferably in the range of 0 to 130 ° C. The polymerization reaction can be carried out by any polymerization method such as isothermal polymerization, temperature rising polymerization and adiabatic polymerization. Furthermore, when performing the polymerization, an allene compound such as 1,2-butadiene may be added in order to prevent the formation of a gel in the reaction vessel.

  The liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) can be synthesized in the same manner as the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) using styrene and 1,3-butadiene as raw materials.

In the rubber composition of the present invention, a filler used in a general rubber composition can be blended. Although it does not specifically limit as this filler, Carbon black and an inorganic filler can be mentioned, These fillers may be used individually by 1 type, and may mix and use 2 or more types. Good. The inorganic filler to be used preferably has a particle size of 10 μm or less, more preferably 3 μm or less. By using an inorganic filler having a particle size of 10 μm or less, the fracture characteristics and wear resistance of the vulcanized rubber can be maintained well. Here, as the inorganic filler, silica and the following general formula (I):
mM · xSiO _y · zH ₂ O (I)
[Wherein, M is a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, titanium, calcium and zirconium, an oxide or hydroxide of these metals, and a hydrate thereof, or a carbonate of these metals. And m, x, y, and z are each an integer of 1 to 5, an integer of 0 to 10, an integer of 2 to 5, and an integer of 0 to 10]. The inorganic compound may contain a metal such as potassium, sodium, iron or magnesium, an element such as fluorine, or a group such as NH ₄ —.

Specific examples of the inorganic compound of the above formula (I) include aluminum hydroxide [Al (OH) ₃ ], aluminum carbonate such as alumina monohydrate (Al ₂ O ₃ .H ₂ O), gibbsite, bayerite, and the like. [Al ₂ (CO ₃ ) ₃ ], magnesium hydroxide [Mg (OH) ₂ ], magnesium oxide (MgO), magnesium carbonate (MgCO ₃ ), talc (3MgO · 4SiO ₂ · H ₂ O), attapulgite (5MgO · 8SiO ₂ .9H ₂ O), titanium white (TiO ₂ ), titanium black (TiO _2n-1 ), calcium oxide (CaO), calcium hydroxide [Ca (OH) ₂ ], aluminum magnesium oxide (MgO · Al ₂ O) _3), clay _{(Al 2 O 3 · 2SiO 2} ), kaolin _{(Al 2 O 3 · 2SiO 2} · 2H 2 O), pyrophyllite _{(Al 2 O 3 · 4SiO 2} · H 2 O), bentonite ( _{l 2 O 3 · 4SiO 2 ·} 2H 2 O), aluminum silicate _{(Al 2 SiO 5, Al 4} · 3SiO 4 · 5H 2 O etc.), magnesium silicate (Mg ₂ SiO _4, MgSiO ₃ etc.), silicic acid Calcium (Ca ₂ SiO ₄ etc.), aluminum calcium silicate (Al ₂ O ₃ · CaO · 2SiO ₂ etc.), magnesium calcium silicate (CaMgSiO ₄ ), calcium carbonate (CaCO ₃ ), zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂ ), water Examples include zirconium oxide [ZrO (OH) ₂ .nH ₂ O], zirconium carbonate [Zr (CO ₃ ) ₂ ], various zeolites, feldspar, mica, montmorillonite, and M in formula (I) is aluminum. Is preferred.

As the filler used in the rubber composition of the present invention, among the above fillers, carbon black, silica, aluminas and clays are preferable. Here, aluminas, among the inorganic compounds represented by the above general formula (I), the following general formula (II):
Al ₂ O ₃ · nH ₂ O (II)
[Wherein n is 0 to 3].

  The carbon black is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include FEF, SRF, HAF, ISAF, and SAF grades. The carbon black is preferably carbon black having an iodine adsorption amount (IA) of 60 mg / g or more and a dibutyl phthalate (DBP) oil absorption of 80 mL / 100 g or more. By blending carbon black, various physical properties of the rubber composition can be improved, but from the viewpoint of improving the wear resistance, those of HAF, ISAF, and SAF grade are more preferable. The rubber composition of the present invention may contain only carbon black as a filler. In this case, the amount of carbon black is 10 to 250 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component of the matrix. The range is preferably 20 to 150 parts by mass from the viewpoint of reinforcing properties and the efficiency of improving various physical properties thereby. When the compounding amount of carbon black is less than 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, the fracture characteristics and the like are not sufficient, and when it exceeds 250 parts by mass, the processability of the rubber composition decreases.

  Further, the silica is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include wet silica (hydrous silicic acid), dry silica (anhydrous silicic acid), calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, and the like. Wet silica is preferred in that it has excellent effects and wet grip properties and low rolling resistance. The rubber composition of the present invention may contain only silica as a filler. In this case, the amount of silica is in the range of 10 to 250 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component of the matrix. From the viewpoint of reinforcing properties and efficiency of improving various physical properties thereby, a range of 20 to 150 parts by mass is preferable. When the compounding amount of silica is less than 10 parts by mass, fracture characteristics and the like are not sufficient, and when it exceeds 250 parts by mass, the processability of the rubber composition is lowered.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, when silica is used as a filler, it is preferable to add a silane coupling agent at the time of blending from the viewpoint of further improving the reinforcing property. Examples of the silane coupling agent include bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide, bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) trisulfide, bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) disulfide, and bis (2-triethoxysilyl). Ethyl) tetrasulfide, bis (3-trimethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide, bis (2-trimethoxysilylethyl) tetrasulfide, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane, 2-mercaptoethyltri Methoxysilane, 2-mercaptoethyltriethoxysilane, 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N, N-dimethylthiocarbamoyl tetrasulfide, 3-triethoxysilylpropyl-N, N-dimethylthiocarbamoyl tetrasulfide, 2-triethoxysilyl Ethyl-N, N-dimethylthiocarbamoyl tetrasulfide, 3-trimethoxysilylpropylbenzothiazole tetrasulfide, 3-triethoxysilylpropylbenzothiazole tetrasulfide, 3-triethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate monosulfide, 3-trimethoxysilylpropyl Methacrylate monosulfide, bis (3-diethoxymethylsilylpropyl) tetrasulfide, 3-mercaptopropyldimethoxymethylsilane, dimethoxymethylsilylpropyl-N, N-dimethylthiocarbamoyl tetrasulfide, dimethoxymethylsilylpropylbenzothiazole tetrasulfide, etc. Among these, bis (3-triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfide and 3-trimethoxysilyl from the viewpoint of reinforcing effect Propyl benzothiazole tetrasulfide are preferable. These silane coupling agents may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Moreover, the rubber composition of this invention can use the general crosslinking system for rubber | gum, and it is preferable to use it combining a crosslinking agent and a vulcanization accelerator. Here, as a crosslinking agent, sulfur etc. are mentioned, The usage-amount of a crosslinking agent has the preferable range of 0.1-10 mass parts as a sulfur content with respect to 100 mass parts of rubber components of a matrix, and 1-5 mass parts. A range is more preferred. If the compounding amount of the crosslinking agent is less than 0.1 parts by mass as a sulfur component with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, the rupture strength, wear resistance and low heat build-up of the vulcanized rubber will decrease, and if it exceeds 10 parts by mass, the rubber elasticity Is lost.

  On the other hand, the vulcanization accelerator is not particularly limited, but 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (M), dibenzothiazyl disulfide (DM), N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazylsulfenamide (CZ). ), Thiazole vulcanization accelerators such as Nt-butyl-2-benzothiazolylsulfenamide (NS), and guanidine vulcanization accelerators such as diphenylguanidine (DPG). The amount of the vulcanization accelerator used is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 5 parts by mass, more preferably in the range of 0.2 to 3 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component of the matrix. These vulcanization accelerators may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  In the rubber composition of the present invention, process oil or the like can be used as a softening agent, and examples of the process oil include paraffinic oil, naphthenic oil, and aromatic oil. Among these, aromatic oils are preferable from the viewpoint of tensile strength and wear resistance, and naphthenic oils and paraffinic oils are preferable from the viewpoint of hysteresis loss and low-temperature characteristics. The amount of these process oils used is preferably in the range of 0 to 100 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component of the matrix. If the amount of process oil used exceeds 100 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, the tensile strength and low heat build-up of the vulcanized rubber tend to deteriorate.

  The rubber composition of the present invention includes the above styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A), polybutadiene rubber (B), liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C), filler, silane coupling agent, crosslinking agent, In addition to sulfur accelerators and softeners, for example, additives usually used in the rubber industry such as anti-aging agents, zinc oxide, stearic acid, antioxidants, anti-ozone degradation agents, and the like that do not impair the purpose of the present invention It can select suitably and mix | blend it. The rubber composition of the present invention can also contain rubber components other than the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) and the polybutadiene rubber (B), such as natural rubber and other synthetic rubbers.

  The rubber composition of the present invention is obtained by kneading using a kneader such as a roll or an internal mixer, and after molding, vulcanization is performed, and the tire tread rubber, under tread, carcass, sidewall In addition to tire applications such as beads, it can also be used in anti-vibration rubber, belts, hoses, and other industrial products, but is particularly suitable as a tread rubber for tires.

  The pneumatic tire of the present invention is characterized by using the rubber composition as a tread rubber. The tire has a high hysteresis loss (tan δ) and is applied to the tread rubber with the above-described rubber composition excellent in wear resistance and fracture characteristics, and thus is excellent in fracture resistance, steering stability, and wear resistance. The tire of the present invention is not particularly limited except that the above rubber composition is used for the tread rubber, and can be produced according to a conventional method. Moreover, as gas with which this tire is filled, inert gas, such as nitrogen, argon, helium other than normal or the air which adjusted oxygen partial pressure, can be used.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

<Synthesis of Liquid Styrene-Butadiene Copolymer (Liquid SBR)>
Cyclohexane 3000 g, tetrahydrofuran (THF) 12 g, 1,3-butadiene 200 g and styrene 100 g were added to a 5 liter autoclave with a stirring blade sufficiently purged with nitrogen, and the temperature in the autoclave was adjusted to 21 ° C. Next, 1.50 g of n-butyllithium was added and polymerization was carried out for 60 minutes under elevated temperature conditions, and it was confirmed that the monomer conversion was 99%. Thereafter, 3.5 g of 2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol was added as an anti-aging agent, and further dried according to a conventional method to obtain a liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (liquid SBR).

  Next, the polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of the synthesized liquid SBR was measured by GPC. Here, 244 type GPC manufactured by Waters is used as GPC, a differential refractometer is used as a detector, columns GMH-3, GMH-6, and G6000H-6 manufactured by Tosoh are used as columns, and tetrahydrofuran is used as a mobile phase. Was used. In addition, using a monodisperse styrene polymer manufactured by Waters as a standard substance, a calibration curve was prepared by previously obtaining the relationship between the molecular weight of the monodisperse styrene polymer peak by GPC and the GPC count number, and using this, The weight average molecular weight (Mw) in terms of polystyrene of liquid SBR was determined. As a result, the obtained liquid SBR had a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 15,000. The liquid SBR had a bound styrene content of 33% by mass.

  Next, using the above liquid SBR, a rubber composition having the formulation shown in Table 1 was prepared according to a conventional method, and the resulting rubber composition had wear resistance, steering stability and fracture resistance by the following methods. evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1.

(1) Abrasion resistance The amount of wear at a slip rate of 60% at room temperature was measured using a Lambourn type wear tester, and the reciprocal of the amount of wear of the rubber composition of Comparative Example 1 was expressed as an index. The larger the index value, the smaller the wear amount and the better the wear resistance.

(2) Steering stability Using a mechanical spectrometer manufactured by Rheometrics, tan δ was measured at a shear strain of 5%, a temperature of 60 ° C., and a frequency of 15 Hz, and the tan δ of the rubber composition of Comparative Example 1 was displayed as an index. The larger the index value, the greater the hysteresis loss and the better the steering stability.

(3) Fracture resistance A tensile test was performed at room temperature in accordance with JIS K6301-1995, and the tensile strength (Tb) of the vulcanized rubber composition was measured. did. The larger the index value, the better the fracture resistance.

* 1 Styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (SBR) synthesized by solution polymerization, weight average molecular weight in terms of polystyrene = 400,000, bound styrene content = 38 mass%, vinyl bond content in the butadiene part = 35%.
* 2 JSR, BR01, polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight = 580,000, cis-1,4 bond content = 95%.
* 3 Asahi Kasei, ASADEN NF35R, polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight = 370,000, cis-1,4 bond content = 35%.
* 4 Liquid SBR synthesized by the above method, polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight = 15,000, bound styrene content = 33% by mass.
* 5 N- (1,3-dimethylbutyl) -N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine.
* 6 Dibenzothiazyl disulfide.
* 7 N-t-butyl-2-benzothiazolylsulfenamide.

  As is apparent from Table 1, the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) having the molecular weight specified in the present invention and the polybutadiene rubber (B) having the molecular weight and cis-1,4 bond content specified in the present invention are used in the present invention. The rubber composition of the example in which the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) having the molecular weight specified in the present invention was blended with the rubber component of the matrix included in the ratio specified in the Steering stability and fracture resistance were greatly improved.

  On the other hand, the rubber composition of Comparative Example 2 containing the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) but not containing the polybutadiene rubber (B) having the molecular weight and cis-1,4 bond content specified in the present invention is a comparative example. The improvement width of abrasion resistance with respect to 1 was small. Further, the rubber composition of Comparative Example 3 containing styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) and polybutadiene rubber (B) but not containing liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) was compared with Comparative Example 1. The handling stability was greatly reduced. Furthermore, the rubber composition of Comparative Example 4 in which the proportion of the polybutadiene rubber (B) in the matrix was too high could not improve the hysteresis loss, and the steering stability was equivalent to that of Comparative Example 1. Furthermore, the rubber composition of Comparative Example 5 containing a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content equal to or less than the value specified in the present invention had a lower abrasion resistance than Comparative Example 1.

Claims (7)

  Styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) having a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 300,000 to 4,000,000 (A) 60 to 95% by mass, a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 400,000 or more and a polybutadiene rubber having a cis-1,4 bond content of 70% or more (B) 100 parts by mass of a rubber component composed of 5 to 40% by mass is formed by blending 10 to 200 parts by mass of a liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) having a polystyrene equivalent weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 200,000. The rubber composition characterized by the above-mentioned.   The rubber composition according to claim 1, wherein the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) has a bound styrene content of 20 to 50% by mass.   The rubber composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber (A) has a vinyl bond content in a butadiene portion of 30 to 60%.   The rubber composition according to claim 1, wherein the polybutadiene rubber (B) has a cis-1,4 bond content of 90% or more.   2. The rubber composition according to claim 1, wherein the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) has a bound styrene content of 20 to 70 mass%.   6. The rubber composition according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the liquid styrene-butadiene copolymer (C) is 20 to 100 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.   A pneumatic tire using the rubber composition according to claim 1 for a tread rubber.