Disclosed herein are tires having a tread having stiffness made from a rubber composition of specified ingredients including an elastomer component, a resin component including a terpene phenol resin having a specified hydroxyl value and a DCPD-based resin, a filler component including reinforcing silica filler and carbon black, optionally a liquid plasticizer, and a cure package. Also disclosed are methods for stiffness in a tire tread by using a resin component comprising a terpene phenol resin having a specified hydroxyl value and a DCPD-based resin in a rubber composition comprising an elastomer component, a filler component including reinforcing silica filler and carbon black, optionally a liquid plasticizer, and a cure package.

The present invention is directed to a benzoxazine-functionalized diene-based elastomer comprising polymer chains including repeat units which include conjugated diolefin monomers, such as 1,3-butadiene and isoprene. Additionally, said elastomer comprises at least one benzoxazine connected to a polymer chain via a spacer, wherein the spacer has a length ranging from 3 to 8 atoms. A further aspect of the present invention is directed to a rubber composition comprising such an elastomer, an article of manufacture comprising this rubber composition, and a method of making said benzoxazine-functionalized diene-based elastomer.

A rubber composition is based on at least: from 60 to 100 phr of one or more diene elastomers, referred to as very low glass transition temperature (Tg) diene elastomers, exhibiting a Tg within a range extending from −110° C. to −70° C., chosen from butadiene homopolymers, copolymers of butadiene and of vinylaromatic monomer, exhibiting a content of vinylaromatic unit of between 0% and 5% by weight, and the mixtures of these; a reinforcing filler; crosslinking system; and from 50 to 150 phr of at least one hydrocarbon resin predominantly composed of units resulting from α-pinene monomers, the resin exhibiting an aliphatic proton content of greater than 95%.

A modulus at 300% elongation of a cap tread ranges from 3.0 Mpa to 7.0 Mpa, a modulus at 300% elongation of a undertread ranges from 10.0 Mpa to 20.0 Mpa, and a modulus at 300% elongation of an earthing tread ranges from 10.0 Mpa to 20.0 Mpa. Additionally, an earthing tread is made from a rubber material with a volume resistivity of 1×10{circumflex over ( )}7Ω.Math.cm or less. The undertread includes a thickened portion in a region between the earthing tread and an edge portion of a block. The gauge of the undertread gradually increases from the earthing tread toward the edge portion of the block due to the thickened portion.

A rubber composition based on at least one diene elastomer, a reinforcing filler and a 1,3-dipolar compound comprising an epoxide group is provided. The epoxide group is a 3-membered ether ring in which a first member is a carbon atom exhibiting a connection to the dipole of the 1,3-dipolar compound and a second member is a tertiary or quaternary carbon. Such a rubber composition exhibits improved properties at break and an improved processing, as well as good hysteresis properties.

An end-group functionalized polymer having one or more end groups according to the general formula (I)

##STR00001##

wherein
R1 represents a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, preferably aliphatic, hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which, in addition to C and H, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably independently of one another selected from O, N, S or Si;
R2, R3 are identical or different and represent saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon groups having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein the hydrocarbon group may contain, in addition to C and H atoms, one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from the group consisting of O, N, S and Si;
A represents a residue selected from the group consisting of O-R4-OH, R5-OH and R6-NH-R7, preferably O-R4-OH wherein R4, R5 and R6 represent a saturated or unsaturated linear or branched hydrocarbon group which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, independently selected from O, N, S or Si and which contains from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and wherein
R7 represents H or a linear or branched or cyclic aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and which, in addition to C and H atoms, may contain one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from O, N, S or Si;
and wherein the polymer is a homopolymer of a conjugated diene or a copolymer of at least one or more conjugated diene and one or more vinylaromatic monomer and, optionally one or more other comonomers. Also provided are a process for making the polymers and articles made with the polymers.

Provided are a method for manufacturing a rubber composition for a tire and a method for manufacturing a tire including this manufacturing method for the rubber composition in the present invention, which are characterized by including the steps of: starting to knead a rubber component, a sulfur donor, and a sulfur atom-containing vulcanization accelerator together before kneading the rubber component with a filler; and then adding a filler to an obtained kneaded product and performing kneading at a kneading temperature of 120° C. or higher. According to the manufacturing methods of the present invention, a rubber composition for a tire and a tire which have good fracture property can be manufactured.

A modified precipitated silica comprising precipitated silica and at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate and poly(vinylphosphonic acid) is useful for the manufacture of peroxide-based whitening oral care compositions having improved stability over time. It is also useful for the manufacture of elastomeric compositions having a performing balance of properties including e.g. high rolling resistance and/or high wear resistance.

To provide a modified vinylaromatic copolymer which can be used in production of copolymer rubber and which has reactivity and solubility, and a copolymer rubber material obtained therefrom, which simultaneously has processability, strength, and homogeneity. The modified vinylaromatic copolymer is a copolymer containing a structural unit (a) derived from a divinylaromatic compound and a structural unit (b) derived from a monovinylaromatic compound, wherein the structural unit (a) at least partially includes the following crosslinked structural unit (a1), and a terminal is modified by a modification group having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of an amino group, a hydroxyl group, and an alkoxysilyl group.

A rubber compounding ingredient containing (A) a compound having a blocked isocyanate group and a hydrolyzable silyl group, such as an organosilicon compound having the following formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1 is each independently an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, L is a divalent linking group, X is —O— or —NR.sup.2—, Z is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group, R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or a group capable of bonding to Z to form a ring structure, and m is an integer of 1 to 3.