OPTIMIZATION OF THE SILICA/POLYMER INTERFACE IN THE CASE OF VERY HIGH SURFACE SILICA : NEW METHODS TO SUPPORT FORMULATION ADJUSTEMENTS FOR PASSENGER CAR AND TRUCK TIRE TREADS

摘要

The use of Very High Surface Silica in Green Tire Treads is a key enabler to be able to reach the new C02 regulations in Passenger Car and Truck for the coming years.The main challenge for these Silica are the optimization of the recipes and the mixing process to extract the full values in term of Tire final performances.In this presentation,a focus will be made on the optimization of the silane dosage in function of the silica nature.An experimental method aiming at evaluating reactivity of silica surface has been developed to better understand silanization mechanisms on silica.A link has been made with applicative results showing possible correlations between the test and the optimum level of silane to achieve optimized performances in several polymer matrixes.One part will be focus on passenger car tire tread with functionalized and non-functionalized elastomers targeting an impact on the rolling resistance and wet performances.Then a second part on truck tire tread with natural elastomer targeting an impact on the hysteresis and wear descriptors.