US 11,912,067 B2
Rubber composition and a tire
Michael Hans, Trier (DE); Christian Jean-Marie Kaes, Schrondweiler (LU); Claude Schweitzer, Colmar-Berg (LU); and Xavier Jean-Francois Beot, Heinsch (BE)
Assigned to THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, Akron, OH (US)
Filed by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed on Dec. 16, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/123,291.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/951,148, filed on Dec. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0188007 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. B60C 11/00 (2006.01); B60C 1/00 (2006.01); C08L 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/0008 (2013.01) [B60C 1/0016 (2013.01); B60C 11/005 (2013.01); C08L 9/00 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0025 (2013.01); C08L 2205/03 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tire comprising a belt portion and a tread portion, wherein the tread portion is situated radially outward from the belt portion, wherein the tread portion comprises a radially outer tread cap layer, which is adapted to be ground contacting, and a radially inner tread cap layer arranged between the radially outer tread cap layer and the belt portion, wherein the radially inner tread cap layer extends under the entire axial width of the radially outer tread cap layer,
wherein the radially outer tread cap layer comprises a first rubber composition having a first shear storage modulus G′1, wherein the first rubber composition includes carbon black and silica, and wherein the weight ratio of the silica to the carbon black is at least 10:1,
wherein the radially inner tread cap layer comprises a second rubber composition having a second shear storage modulus G′2,
wherein the second shear storage modulus G′2 is between 3 MPa and 9 MPa higher than the first shear storage modulus G′1, and
wherein the first shear storage modulus G′1 ranges from 1 MPa to 3 MPa and the second shear storage modulus G′2 ranges from 4 MPa to 12 MPa, and
wherein the first shear storage modulus G′1 and the second shear storage modulus G′2 are determined according to ASTM D5992,
wherein said tire is further comprising a plurality of circumferential grooves and circumferential ribs, wherein two neighboring circumferential grooves define a circumferential rib, and wherein the radially inner tread layer comprises an electrically conductive chimney extending to the radially outermost surface of the tread portion for contacting the road when driving, and wherein the conductive chimney extends radially through one of the ribs and is axially spaced apart from the neighboring grooves.