Rubber pellets are coated with an anti-tack material. The anti-tack material may be comprised of a metallic stearate, such as magnesium stearate. The coated rubber pellets are loaded on to a rotational conveyance mechanism that rotates at a speed and radial amount to provide an interaction time between the rubber pellets and the anti-tack material. The coated rubber pellets may then be dried in a centrifuge dryer having a plurality of angled fins extending from a rotational shaft.

A process for modifying an expandable curing bladder for a tire, which bladder has a surface intended to come into contact with a tire casing is provided. The process comprises a step of applying to the surface a layer of a silicone rubber composition comprising a first liquid organopolysiloxane bearing chain-end alkenyl groups, a second liquid organohydropolysiloxane and a photoactivatable hydrosilylation catalyst, and a step of exposing the silicone rubber composition covering the surface to irradiation with ultraviolet-visible light.

A method of combining rubbers and plastics when injection molding, and compositions usable in injection molding, are shown and described. Comminuted rubber from waste tires and waste plastics including any of high density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene are combined and heated to melt at least the plastics. In one optional approach, both are melted. Plastics comprise from twenty to eighty percent by weight of the mixture, with rubber accounting for the balance. The mixture may be fortified with bonding, compatibilizing, and strengthening agents. The compositions may be cooled and pelletized for immediate use in injection operations.

Compounds having an elastomer material, a filler material, at least one additive material, and at least one accelerant material are disclosed. In various embodiments, the filler material comprises a graphene-based carbon material. In various embodiments, the graphene-based carbon material comprises graphene comprising up to 15 layers, carbon aggregates having a median size from 1 to 50 microns, a surface area of the carbon aggregates at least 50 m.sup.2/g, when measured via a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method with nitrogen as the adsorbate, and no seed particles.

The present disclosure relates to self-sealing tires, a process for making said self-sealing tires and the use of a silicone composition cured via a condensation cure chemistry to form a self-sealing layer designed to function as both (i) a self-sealing tire puncture material, i.e., to seal puncture holes in the tread region of tires if/when punctured by a foreign body and (ii) as an adhesive for sound-absorbing foams adapted to reduce the noise generated by tires during travel.

The invention provides an apparatus for de-vulcanisation of rubber from a rubber component, preferably a rubber tire. The apparatus comprises a cleaning device configured to clean and/or sanitize the rubber and a mixing device having at least one rotor configured to de-vulcanise the cleaned and/or sanitized rubber.

Heating of rubber products during processing produces odours which may be abated by commingling the rubber product with fabric softener. The fabric softener may be commingled with the rubber product via a dip tank filled with fabric softener solution, by applying fabric softener to the rubber product prior to heating/processing the rubber product, by injecting the fabric softener into an extruder that is heating/processing the rubber product, and by treating the by-product exiting the side stream of the extruder.

A carbon nanotube-elastomer composite material according to the present invention is produced by dispersing a carbon nanotube in an elastomer, including a carbon nanotube having a diameter of 20 nm or less, the number of layers of 10 or less, the carbon nanotube being contained in an amount of 0.1 to 20 parts by weight inclusive relative to the total weight of the carbon nanotube and the elastomer, and a continuous network having a Va/V.sub.0 value of 0.5 or more is formed in the elastomer wherein V.sub.0 represents the initial volume of the composite material and Va represents the volume of the structure formed from the remaining carbon nanotubes when the composite material is maintained at a temperature of 400° C. or higher for 6 hours while introducing nitrogen, the elastomer is thermally decomposed and the remaining carbon nanotubes form a structure.

Continuous processing equipment is suitable for use in the preparation of elastomeric compositions from end-of-life tire crumb or other vulcanized rubber starting materials. A reactor includes an outer barrel, a first shaft and a second shaft, and one or more piezoelectric transducer-driven acoustic horns arranged along the outer barrel and penetrating the outer barrel through a series of vibration-isolated ports which traverse a jacket of the outer barrel.

Provided are a rubber article reinforcing steel wire that is superior in bending fatigue properties to the related art and has a flat cross-sectional shape, and a rubber article using the wire. In a rubber article reinforcing steel wire 10, a major diameter and a minor diameter are substantially perpendicular to each other. Assuming that the major diameter is W, the minor diameter is T, a straight line that passes through a center of the major diameter in a width direction and is parallel to a minor diameter direction is L1, a straight line that passes through a center of the minor diameter in a width direction and is parallel to a major diameter direction is L2, an intersection point of the L1 and the L2 is a center point C, a region within a half of a distance from the center point C to a surface is a central region Rc, and a region outside the central region Rc is a surface layer region Rs, a Vickers hardness Hvc of the central region Rc is more than a Vickers hardness Hvs of the surface layer region Rs; and assuming that a Vickers hardness on the L1 in the surface layer region Rs is Hv1, and a Vickers hardness on the L2 in the surface layer region Rs is Hv2, relationships represented by Hvc−Hv1≦150, Hvc−Hv2≦150, Hv1/Hvc×100≧85.11, and Hv2/Hvc×100≧79.84 are satisfied.