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ARLANXEO introduces new proprietary process to improve fuel economy of tires

Source:Ringier Plastics Release Date:2016-07-14 276
Plastics & Rubber
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New development in Functionalized Solution Rubbers provides performance benefits for tire manufacturers and users    

At K 2016 in Dusseldorf, ARLANXEO will be introducing a newly developed technology for the production of functionalized solution rubbers. The application of this new technology to both styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) and functionalized butadiene rubber - in particular neodymium catalyzed butadiene rubber (Nd-BR) – increases the interaction with fillers, helping to improve the dynamic properties of tire tread compounds.

As the filler becomes more easily dispersed into the compound, a more elastic network is built up. This reduces the rolling resistance and thus improves the fuel economy of the tire. In some cases traction properties can also be enhanced.

The new functionalized solution rubber technology represents an upgrade for the S-SBR family – and new grades will be added to the ARLANXEO Buna FX product group, a brand new family of high performance rubbers. Different grades – namely high vinyl and high styrene rubbers – are available for customer approvals.

With regard to the Nd-BR types, several ways to modify and functionalize these grades have been studied and investigated in the ARLANXEO R&D facilities. As a first result the easy-to-process Buna Nd EZ grades have been commercialized and are already acknowledged in the rubber industry as being able to provide a good balance between the dynamic properties and the processability of the respective Nd-BR compounds.

One of the next major steps in the Nd-BR development will be to introduce a new functionalization technology on an industrial scale. David Hardy, Technical Service and Development Manager at ARLANXEO, said that functionalizing Ziegler/Natta catalyst polymerized rubbers such as Nd-BR is much more complicated due to the side reactions that can occur, one of the reasons there are fewer of these products available in the market compared to S-SBR: However, the company has found a technique to control this in a reliable way.

ARLANXEO

Automotive OEMs have to meet stringent requirements for fuel economy and grip. These requirements can only be met by using materials designed to improve the dynamic properties of the tire. Functionalized rubbers are a very suited and proven way to meet these requirements in combination with fillers and silanes. Therefore, tire makers are constantly looking for new types of functional polymers to help create compounds that best fit their application developments.
 
The new functionalized solution rubbers offer immediate benefits to the tire industry. However, in the longer term they can be adopted for use in other applications where excellent dynamic properties are required, for example in conveyor belting, anti-vibration and sport shoe soles applications.

Bodega
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