PNEUMATIC RUBBER TIRE HAVING ANNULAR RUBBER STRIP CONTAINING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE BONDED TO ITS INNER SURFACE

• US 20040140030A1
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Lettieri, Joseph Carmine, Hahn, Bruce Raymond, Shpargel, Tarah Pecora
• Granted Patent: US 7,318,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 152/152.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 1/00 Tyres characterised by the chemical composition or the physical arrangement or mixture of the composition
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0493 for attachment on the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2241 used in or for vehicle tyres

Abstract

A pre-cured pneumatic rubber tire of open toroidal shape having a pre-cured rubber strip, comprised of at least one elastomer and which contains at least one electrically conductive element, adhesively bonded to an inner surface of the tire'"'"'s cavity. The adhesive is an RTV polysiloxane comprised of an hydroxyl terminated (silanol terminated) polysiloxane and crosslinking agent. The adhesive is applied as a layer, or coating, thereof onto a surface of said pre-cured rubber strip, and/or onto a corresponding pre-cured inner surface of said pre-cured tire, and the resulting coated pre-cured rubber strip and inner surface of said pre-cured tire brought together with said layer of adhesive therebetween and the adhesive allowed to cure and thereby bond said strip to said tire inner surface. In one aspect of the invention, said strip is an annular pre-cured rubber strip bonded to the tire'"'"'s inner surface in its crown region or to said tire inner surface circumferential with and close to the periphery of the tire'"'"'s open cavity. In another aspect of the invention, said tire inner surface is of a textured configuration and optionally contains a thin coating thereon of a polysiloxane material. In a further aspect of the invention, said pre-cured rubber strip contains a transducer and/or microprocessor inductively and/or electrically connected to said electrically conductive element(s), for example a wire antenna, contained in said rubber strip.

Claims

1. A cured pneumatic rubber tire of an open toroidal shape with an inner rubber surface substantially co-existent with its open toroidal cavity, wherein a portion of said tire inner rubber surface contains a pre-cured rubber strip adhesively bonded thereto by an adhesive layer positioned between said pre-cured rubber strip and said tire inner rubber surface, wherein said pre-cured rubber strip contains at least one electrically conductive element, wherein said adhesive layer is comprised of a RTV composition comprised of an hydroxyl terminated polysiloxane crosslinked with a crosslinking agent which contains a silane group capable of crosslinking a silanol terminated organopolysiloxane comprised of a substituted silane group with a substituent comprised of at least one of oxime, acetoxy, methoxy, ethoxy, amine, oximino and enoxy groups and their mixtures.

2. The tire of claim 1 wherein said pre-cured rubber strip is an annular pre-cured rubber strip which contains said at-least-one electrically conductive element as an antenna substantially co-extensive with the length of said pre-cured annular rubber strip and a microprocessor, wherein said microprocessor is inductively or directly connected to said antenna.

3. The tire of claim 1 wherein said pre-cured rubber strip is in a form of a patch which contains a microprocessor embedded therein, together with and connected to an electrically conductive wire antenna.

4. The tire of claim 1 wherein said crosslinking agent is comprised of oximinosilane group as a methyltris(methyl ethyl ketoximo) silane of the general Formula (I):

5. The tire of claim 1 wherein said RTV polysiloxane layer contains an oximinosilane based crosslinking agent as a methyltris(methyl ethyl ketoximo) silane, calcium carbonate, carbon black, amorphous silica, poly(dimethylsiloxane) dimethyl, stearic acid, in a form of a thixotropic paste having a viscosity at 25°

C. as evidenced by an extrusion rate in gm/min, using a 3 mm diameter nozzel at 6 bar pressure, in a range of about 20 to about 30 and, when cured has a Shore A hardness in a range of about 30 to about 40, an elongation at break of at least 400 percent and a tensile strength of at least 1.4 N/mm².

11. The tire of claim 2 where said annular pre-cured rubber strip is positioned on said inner rubber surface of the tire

(A) circumferentially around the crown region of the tire, or

(B) circumferentially around and spaced radially inward from the peripheral edge of the said open torrid tire cavity.

18. The tire of claim 1 wherein said hydroxyl terminated organopolysiloxane is selected from at least one of silanol terminated organopolysiloxane, disilanol terminated organopolysiloxane, diorganopolysiloxane and disilanol terminated diorganopolysiloxane.

19. The tire of claim 1 wherein said rubber for said tire inner surface and said annular rubber strip is selected from

(A) homopolymers and copolymers of at least one of isoprene and 1,3-butadiene and copolymers of at least one of isoprene and 1,3-butadiene with styrene, or

(B) isobutylene-based rubbers as copolymers of isobutylene and from about 2 to about 8 weight percent units derived from isoprene and such isobutylene-based copolymers halogenated with chlorine or bromine.

20. The tire of claim 1 wherein said annular cured rubber strip is in a form of a ring positioned circumferentially around and spaced apart from the peripheral edge of said internal cavity of said tire, where said annular rubber strip contains an electrically conductive wire as an antenna within said annular rubber strip which is substantially coextensive with the length of said annular rubber strip, wherein said annular rubber strip contains a microprocessor in a housing for said microprocessor, wherein said annular rubber strip passes through said housing and wherein said microprocessor is inductively connected within said housing to said antenna.

6. A pneumatic tire prepared by a method which comprises;

(A) providing a sulfur cured pneumatic tire of an open toroidal shape with an inner cured rubber surface substantially co-existent with its open toroidal cavity;

(B) providing a cured rubber strip of a rubber composition comprised of at least one elastomer which contains at least one electrically conductive element;

(C) applying an adhesive layer of RTV composition to a surface of said cured rubber strip and/or to a portion of said inner cured rubber surface of said tire, wherein said adhesive layer is comprised of an hydroxyl terminated organopolysiloxane and crosslinking agent, wherein said crosslinking agent contains a silane group capable of crosslinking a silanol terminated organopolysiloxane comprised of a substituted silane group having a substituent selected from at least one of oxime, acetoxy, methoxy, ethoxy, amine, oximino and enoxy groups and their mixtures;

(D) applying said cured rubber strip to said inner cured rubber surface of said tire with said adhesive layer therebetween; and

(E) curing said adhesive layer to thereby bond said cured rubber strip to said inner cured rubber surface of said tire.

7. The tire of claim 6 wherein said pre-cured rubber strip is an annular pre-cured rubber strip which contains at least one electrically conductive element as an antenna substantially co-extensive with the length of said pre-cured annular rubber strip and a microprocessor, wherein said microprocessor is inductively or directly connected to said antenna.

8. The tire of claim 6 wherein said pre-cured rubber strip is in a form of a patch which contains a microprocessor embedded therein, together with and connected to an electrically conductive wire antenna.

9. The tire of claim 6 wherein said crosslinking agent is as a methyltris(methyl ethyl ketoximo) silane of the general Formula (I):

10. The tire of claim 6 wherein said RTV polysiloxane layer contains an oximinosilane based crosslinking agent as a methyltris(methyl ethyl ketoximo) silane, calcium carbonate, carbon black, amorphous silica, poly(dimethylsiloxane) dimethyl, stearic acid, in a form of a thixotropic paste having a viscosity at 25°

C. as evidenced by an extrusion rate in gm/min, using a 3 mm diameter nozzel at 6 bar pressure, in a range of about 20 to about 30 and, when cured has a Shore A hardness in a range of about 30 to about 40, an elongation at break of at least 400 percent and a tensile strength of at least 1.4N/mm².

12. The tire of claim 7 where said annular cured rubber strip is positioned on said inner rubber surface of the tire

(A) circumferentially around the crown region of the tire, or

(B) circumferentially around and spaced radially inward from the peripheral edge of the said open torrid tire cavity.

13. The tire of claim 6 wherein said inner cured rubber surface has a three dimensionally textured configuration.

14. The tire of claim 8 wherein said inner cured rubber surface has a three dimensionally textured configuration.

15. The tire of claim 6 wherein said inner cured rubber surface of said tire contains a polysiloxane based coating thereon and said adhesive composition is bonded to said polysiloxane coated inner rubber surface via the said crosslinking of said adhesive coating.

16. The tire of claim 13 wherein said inner cured rubber surface of said tire contains a polysiloxane based coating thereon and said adhesive composition is bonded to said polysiloxane coated inner rubber surface via the said crosslinking of said adhesive coating.

17. The tire of claim 14 wherein said inner cured rubber surface of said tire contains a polysiloxane based coating thereon and said adhesive composition is bonded to said polysiloxane coated inner rubber surface via the said crosslinking of said adhesive coating.

21. The tire of claim 9 wherein said annular cured rubber strip is in a form of a ring positioned circumferentially around and spaced apart from the peripheral edge of said internal cavity of said tire, where said annular rubber strip contains an electrically conductive wire as an antenna within said annular rubber strip which is substantially coextensive with the length of said annular rubber strip, wherein said annular rubber strip contains a microprocessor in a housing for said microprocessor, wherein said annular rubber strip passes through said housing and wherein said microprocessor is inductively connected within said housing to said antenna.