Tire sealant composition

• US 10,675,822 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2017
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Randall, Amy M., Caliano, Ludovica, Galizio, Benjamin C., di Ronza, Raffaele, Aurisicchio, Claudia, Pezzullo, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Cain, Edward J
• Application Number:
  US16/096,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20190134930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/163 Sealing compositions or agents, e.g. combined with propellant agents
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/22 the article containing elements including a sealing composition, e.g. powder being liberated when the article is damaged
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0685 Incorporating auto-repairing or self-sealing arrangements or agents on or into tyres auto-repairing or self-sealing arrangements or agents B29C73/16; puncture preventing arrangements B60C19/12
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2205/03 containing three or more polymers in a blend
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 23/24 having ten or more carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 7/00 Compositions of natural rubber
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 91/00 Compositions of oils, fats or waxes; Compositions of derivatives thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a sealant composition for use with tires, a tire having at least one component with at least one surface at least partially coated with the sealant composition, and related methods for applying the sealant composition to tires. The sealant composition comprises biorubber and a softener comprising at least one of plant oil or plant resin and has a non-petroleum content of at least 70% by weight.

Claims

1. A tire comprising at least one component in contact with a sealant composition comprising

biorubber in an amount of about 15 to about 90 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition;

and a softener comprising at least one of plant resin or plant oil, in an amount of about 10 to about 85 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and

optionally a cure package,

wherein the sealant composition contains no more than 5% by weight water, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and contains at least 70 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, non-petroleum ingredients including the biorubber, and plant resin or plant oil, and

the sealant composition has a viscosity of 200 to 500 Pa-S at 100°

C.

2. The tire of claim 1 wherein the sealant composition further comprises at least one filler in an amount of up to 20 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition.

3. The tire of claim 1, wherein the softener comprises a plant resin, the plant resin is present in an amount of 10 to 45 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and the biorubber:

plant resin weight ratio is greater than 1;

1.

4. The tire of claim 1, wherein the softener comprises a plant oil.

5. The tire of claim 1, wherein

the biorubber comprises at least one of polyfarnesene, non-Hevea natural rubber, Hevea natural rubber, or a polymer or copolymer comprising at least one conjugated diene-containing non-petroleum monomer optionally in combination with at least one aromatic vinyl non-petroleum monomer.

6. The tire of claim 1, wherein the softener comprises a plant resin comprising guayule resin, conifer resin, citrus resin, or a combination thereof.

7. The tire of claim 6, wherein the plant resin comprises at least one terpene, at least one argentatin, at least one guayulin, or a combination thereof.

8. The tire of claim 1, wherein the biorubber comprises polyfarnesene having a molecular weight (Mw) of less than 500,000 kDa.

9. The tire of claim 1, wherein the composition meets at least one of the following:

a. has a viscosity of about 300 to about 400 Pa-S at 100°

C.,

b.

contains no more than 25% by weight of an elastomer/rubber that is solid at room temperature, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition,

c. contains 10 to 70% by weight oil, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition,

d. the cure package is present and comprises about 2 to about 15 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition;

e. carbon black is present as filler;

or

f. the softener comprises guayule resin.

10. The tire of claim 9, wherein each of (a)-(f) is met.

11. The tire of claim 1, wherein the biorubber is extended with at least a portion of the plant resin and/or plant oil.

12. The tire of claim 1, wherein the biorubber comprises polyfarnesene in an amount of about 50 to about 70 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and the softener comprises guayule resin in an amount of about 10 to about 30% by weight, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition.

13. The tire of claim 1, wherein the biorubber comprises polyfarnesene in an amount of about 50 to about 70 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and the softener comprises guayule resin in an amount of about 10 to about 30% by weight, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition.

14. The tire of claim 1, wherein the sealant composition further comprises at least one filler in an amount of up to 20 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition.

15. The tire of claim 14, wherein the at least one filler is selected from the group consisting of carbon black, silica, clay, starch, calcium carbonate, lignin, metal oxidex, and cellulose ester.

16. The tire of claim 1, wherein the at least one component comprises an inner liner or a body ply having at least one surface at least partially coated with the sealant composition.

17. A tire comprising at least one component in contact with a sealant composition comprising

biorubber in an amount of about 15 to about 80 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition;

and a softener comprising at least one of plant resin or plant oil, in an amount of about 20 to about 85 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, at least one filler in an amount of up to 20 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and a cure package,

wherein the sealant composition contains no more than 5% by weight water, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, and contains at least 90 weight %, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition, non-petroleum ingredients including the biorubber, and plant resin or plant oil, and

the sealant composition has a viscosity of 200 to 500 Pa-S at 100°

C.

18. The tire of claim 17, wherein the softener comprises guayule resin in an amount of about 10 to about 30% by weight, based upon the total weight of the sealant composition.

19. The tire of claim 17, wherein the biorubber comprises polyfarnesene in an amount of about 20 to about 40% by weight, based upon the total weight of the biorubber, and the softener comprises guayule resin in an amount of about 5 to about 20% by weight, based upon the total weight of the softener.