A molded bale of a rubber-like block copolymer, the rubber-like block copolymer containing 5% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less of a polymer block (a) having a content of a vinyl aromatic monomer unit of 22% by mass or less; and 5% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less of a polymer block (b) having a content of a vinyl aromatic monomer unit of 23% by mass or more and less than 50% by mass, in which the rubber-like block copolymer has an iodine value of 10 to 250, an ethylene structure content of 3% by mass or more, and a vinyl aromatic monomer block content of less than 10% by mass.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel ethylene/-olefin/non-conjugated polyene copolymer containing a certain non-conjugated polyene such as VNB as a copolymerization component, having a low long-chain branching content, excellent in cure characteristics in the case of crosslinking by using peroxide, and having good processability. The ethylene/-olefin/non-conjugated polyene copolymer according to the present invention has constitutional units derived from ethylene (A), an -olefin (B) having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, and a non-conjugated polyene (C) having a total of two or more partial structures selected from the group consisting of the following general formulas (I) and (II) in a molecule, and satisfies certain requirements. ##STR00001##

According to the process for preparing a vulcanized rubber composition of the invention comprising (a) a step of preparing a master batch comprising a modified conjugated diene polymer and silica, (b) a step of preparing a master batch comprising an isoprene rubber and silica, (c) a step of kneading the master batch obtained in (a) and the master batch obtained in (b), and (d) a step of vulcanizing a kneaded product obtained in (c), wherein the obtained vulcanized rubber composition comprises a phase A comprising a modified conjugated diene polymer and a phase B comprising an isoprene rubber, which are incompatible with each other, an abundance ratio of silica in the phase A satisfies 0.50.9 (Relation 1), and a proportion of the modified conjugated diene polymer satisfies 0.40.8 (Relation 2) it is possible to improve performance on ice and abrasion resistance and to provide a vulcanized rubber composition having excellent performance on ice and abrasion resistance, and a studless tire with a tread made using the same.

A tire having a tread comprising a tread rubber composition comprising from 10 phr to 100 phr of styrene butadiene rubber comprising monomers selected from one or more of recycled and bio-based monomers, from 0 phr to 90 phr of elastomers selected from one or more of natural rubber, polybutadiene rubber comprising monomers selected from one or more of recycled and bio-based monomers, and synthetic polyisoprene comprising monomers selected from one or more of recycled and bio-based monomers, and from 40 phr to 250 phr of a filler comprising one or more of recycled or bio-based silica, and recycled or bio-based carbon black, from 1 phr to 90 phr of hydrocarbon resin which is one or more of i) based on recycled monomers, bio-based monomers or a combination thereof, and ii) a plant resin. Furthermore, the tire comprises reinforced rubber plies, comprising cords, optionally made of a bio-based or recycled material, coated with a rubber coating composition comprising from 80 phr to 100 phr of elastomers selected from one or more of natural rubber and synthetic polyisoprene comprising monomers selected from one or more of recycled and bio-based monomers, and from 30 phr to 90 phr of a filler comprising one or more of recycled or bio-based silica and recycled or bio-based carbon black.

Provided is a pneumatic tire including: a tread portion that extends in a tire circumferential direction and forms an annular shape; a pair of sidewall portions disposed on both sides of the tread portion; and a pair of bead portions disposed on an inner side in a tire radial direction of the sidewall portions, wherein an anti-insect layer having extermination characteristics or repellent characteristics with respect to insect pests is provided on an innermost surface of the pneumatic tire, or a repellent layer having repellent or extermination characteristics with respect to insect pests or small animals is provided on an outer surface of the pneumatic tire.

A tire includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) system and a rubber patch including a topping rubber topping the RFID system, wherein the topping rubber includes a raw material rubber and a reinforcing filler including a boron nitride. In the tire including a RFID system, since the RFID system is covered with a rubber similar to a nearby rubber, generation of a boundary therebetween is suppressed to lower a possibility of the occurrence of initial cracking at a portion where the RFID system is applied, thus increasing durability and safety, and since insulating properties of the rubber covering the RFID system are enhanced, a recognition distance of the RFID system is increased to further facilitate management of distribution and history.

A tire which is intended to bear heavy loads and the endurance of which is improved. The tire contains, in the bead region, at least one internal annular insert, the said insert having a rubber composition containing a polyisoprene elastomer, between 45 phr and 60 phr of a reinforcing filler containing from 43 to 55 phr of a reinforcing inorganic filler with a BET specific surface of between 155 and 185 m.sup.2/g, and a coupling agent for bonding the reinforcing inorganic filler to the elastomer.

The present invention provides a pneumatic tire with well improved fuel economy, rubber tensile strength, and abrasion resistance. The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire formed from a rubber composition, the rubber composition containing: a hydrogenated copolymer obtained by copolymerization of an aromatic vinyl compound and a conjugated diene compound, the hydrogenated copolymer having a degree of hydrogenation of the conjugated diene units of 75 mol % or more; silica; and a silane coupling agent 1 containing a carbonylthio group (SC(O)) but no mercapto group (SH) and/or a silane coupling agent 2 containing a mercapto group (SH), the rubber composition containing, per 100% by mass of a rubber component, 75% by mass or more of the hydrogenated copolymer.

A rubber compound for making a pneumatic tyre structural component comprising a cross-linkable unsaturated-chain polymer base, a reinforcing filler, a thermosetting resin and a vulcanization system. The thermosetting resin comprises functionalized lignin with OR groups wherein R is an alkyne group with a number of carbon atoms of between (3) and (18).

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a tyre, wherein the tyre comprises a metal component, a textile component and a cured rubber based component bonded together by means of curing, and wherein the cured rubber based component comprises lignin that has been treated by hydrothermal carbonization. The invention further relates to use of lignin that has been treated by hydrothermal carbonization in a rubber based component of a pneumatic tyre.