Power transmission belt and process for production of the same

• US 6,641,905 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bando Chemical Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Bando Chemical Industries Limited
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Hiroshi, Fujiwara, Katuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): DIXON, MERRICK L
• Application Number:
  US09/701,639
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 428/297.4, 428/297.7, 428/295.1, 264/501, 264/504, 264/512, 264/519, 264/523, 264/531, 264/345
• US Class Current: 428/297.4
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 29/10 Driving belts having wedge-shaped cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2038/0076 Curing, vulcanising, cross-linking
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2305/08 Reinforcements
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2305/72 Cured, e.g. vulcanised, cross-linked
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2433/04 Driving belts
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 25/02 with fibres or particles being present as additives in the layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 25/042 of natural rubber or synthetic rubber
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 25/16 comprising polydienes homopolymers or poly-halodienes homopolymers B32B25/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2323/16 Ethene-propene or ethene-propene-diene copolymers
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/06 using pretreated fibrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 5/06 with reinforcement bonded by the rubber
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 5/20 with a contact surface of special shape, e.g. toothed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24994 Fiber embedded in or on the surface of a polymeric matrix
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249941 Fiber is on the surface of a polymeric matrix having no embedded portion

Abstract

There is provided a power transmission belt which comprises a compression layer and an adhesive rubber layer which are adhered to each other by vulcanizing together and which has polyester fiber cords embedded in the adhesive rubber layer, wherein the compression layer and the adhesive rubber layer are formed of vulcanizate of an ethylene-α-olefin-diene rubber compound and wherein the polyester fiber cords are adhesion treated with a resorcin-formalin-rubber latex adhesive composition wherein the rubber latex comprises at least one of chlorosulfonated polyethylene and alkylated chlorosulfonated polyethylene in an amount of 50-100% by weight based on the solid components of the rubber latex and adhered to and embedded in the adhesive rubber layer. A process for the production of such power transmission belt is also provided.

Claims

1. A power transmission belt that comprises a compression layer and an adhesive rubber layer adhered to each other by vulcanizing together and which has polyester fiber cords embedded in the adhesive rubber layer, wherein the compression layer and the adhesive rubber layer are formed of vulcanizate of an ethylene-α

-olefin-diene rubber compound and wherein the polyester fiber cords are adhesion treated with a resorcin-formalin-rubber latex adhesive composition wherein the rubber latex comprises at least one of chlorosulfonated polyethylene and alkylated chlorosulfonated polyethylene in an amount of 50-95% by weight and a copolymer of 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene and 2,3-dichloro-1,3-butadiene in an amount of 5-45% by weight, based on the solid components of the rubber latex, respectively, and adhered to and embedded in the adhesive rubber layer.

2. The power transmission belt as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ethylene-α

-olefin-diene rubber is a copolymer rubber formed of ethylene and at least one α

-olefin selected from the group consisting of propylene, butene, hexene and octene.

3. The power transmission belt as claimed in claim 1 wherein the resorcin-formalin-rubber latex adhesive composition contains 0.5-10 parts by weight of at least one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, magnesium oxide and lead oxide and 0.1-20 parts by weight of at least one vulcanization accelerator selected from the group consisting of thiazoles, sulfenamides, thiurams and dithiocarbamates, relative to 100 parts by weight of the solid components of the rubber latex, respectively.

4. A process for production of a power transmission belt that comprises a compression layer and an adhesive rubber layer adhered to each other by vulcanizing together and which has polyester fiber cords embedded in the adhesive rubber layer, which comprises:

carrying out adhesion treatment of the polyester fiber cords, which comprises impregnating the polyester fiber cords with a resorcin-formalin-rubber latex adhesive composition wherein the rubber latex comprises at least one of chlorosulfonated polyethylene and alkylated chlorosulfonated polyethylene in an amount of 50-95% by weight and a copolymer of 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene and 2,3-dichloro-1,3-butadiene in an amount of 5-45% by weight, based on the solid components of the rubber latex, respectively, as well as at least one metal oxide selected form the group consisting of zinc oxide, magnesium oxide and lead oxide and at least one sulfur containing vulcanization accelerator selected from the groups consisting of thiazoles, sulfenamides, thiurams and dithiocarbamates, relative to 100 parts by weight of the solid components of the rubber latex, respectively, and heating and drying the resulting polyester fiber cords at a temperature of 200-240°

C.;

placing the resulting polyester fiber cords between a pair of sheets formed of unvulcanized ethylene-a-olefin-diene rubber compound which are to form an adhesive rubber layer;

laminating the said pair of sheets formed of unvulcanized ethylene-α

-olefin-diene rubber compound on a sheet formed of unvulcanized ethylene-α

-olefin-diene rubber compound which is to form a compression layer; and

heating the resulting laminate under pressure to vulcanize the laminate in a body to provide the belt wherein the polyester fiber cords are adhered to and embedded in the adhesive rubber layer.

5. The process as claimed in claim 4 herein the ethylene-α

-olefin-diene rubber is a copolymer rubber formed of ethylene and at least one α

-olefin selected from the group consisting of propylene, butene, hexene and octene.