The tire and speciality rubbers (TSR) business unit at Lanxess has introduced the company’s new functionalised SSBR and NdBR grades at Tire Technology Expo. As noted by tire and rubber specialist Dave Hardy, one approach for improving existing tire rubber compounds is identifying functionalised rubber that can help further optimise the interaction between polymer and fillers. Following the market launch of successfully functionalised SSBR rubber grades under the name Buna FX, a number of new variants are currently being tested at Lanxess.
This topic was also the subject of a discussion presented at the conference today by product developer Thomas Ruenzi. The presentation was titled In-chain and chain-end functionalised SSBR and NdBRs for green tire applications, and expressly moved beyond chain-end functionalised rubber to include variants with functional groups that are distributed along the polymer chain. By their very nature, Ruenzi explained, the density of potential anchor points in these rubber grades is higher than in the standard chain-end functionalised variants. In a complex study, Lanxess chemists ascertained the properties that silica compounds obtain from the new, differently functionalised SSBR rubber.
Tire Technology Expo runs until Thursday, 18 February in Halls 19 & 20 at the Deutsche Messe, Hannover, Germany. For more information or to register for a free exhibition pass, go to www.tiretechnology-expo.com.
17 February 2016
