A composite reinforcer that can adhere directly to a diene rubber matrix is usable as a reinforcing element for a pneumatic tire. The composite reinforcer includes at least one reinforcing thread, such as a carbon steel cord. Covering each thread individually or several threads collectively is a layer of a thermoplastic polymer composition. The thermoplastic polymer composition includes at least one thermoplastic polymer have a glass transition temperature that is positive, a poly(p-phenylene ether) (PPE), and a functionalized unsaturated thermoplastic styrene (TPS) elastomer having a glass transition temperature that is negative. The TPS elastomer includes a functional group selected from: an epoxide group, a carboxyl group, an acid anhydride group, and an ester group. A process for manufacturing such a composite reinforcer is presented, as well as a process for producing a rubber article, especially a pneumatic tire, incorporating such a composite reinforcer.

A reinforced product, which can be used especially for reinforcing a finished rubber article, comprises one or more textile or metallic reinforcing thread(s), said thread(s) being covered with a sheath comprising a thermoplastic polymer composition, the sheathed thread(s) being themselves embedded in a rubber composition referred to as coating rubber, characterized in that this coating rubber is a composition based on at least one diene elastomer, a reinforcing filler, and a sulfur-based vulcanization system, which system comprises a metal oxide and a stearic acid derivative in amounts such that the ratio of the content of metal oxide and of stearic acid derivative, in phr, is less than 7, preferably less than 5.

A tire includes a circular tire frame member formed from a frame-resin material and a covered cord member. The covered cord member includes a reinforcing cord provided in the tire frame member and extending along a tire circumferential direction, a covering-resin layer formed from a covering-resin material, covering the reinforcing cord, and bonded to the tire frame member, and a bonding-resin layer. The bonding-resin layer is formed from a bonding-resin material having an elastic modulus higher than that of the covering-resin material, is interposed between the reinforcing cord and the covering-resin layer, bonds the reinforcing cord and the covering-resin layer together, and has a layer thickness thinner than a layer thickness of the covering-resin layer.

A rubber-steel cord composite in which a rubber composition and a steel cord are vulcanized and adhere to each other, wherein the rubber composition contains 1 to 10 parts by mass of a vulcanizing agent, 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of N,N-dibenzylbenzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, and 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of a bismaleimide compound, with respect to 100 parts by mass of diene rubber containing natural rubber.

A rubber-steel cord composite according to an embodiment is formed by vulcanizing and bonding a rubber composition containing 1 to 10 parts by mass of sulfur, 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of N,N-dibenzylbenzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, and 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of either one or both of hexamethylene bis-thiosulfate disodium salt dihydrate and 1,6-bis(N,N-dibenzylthiocarbamoyldithio)hexane, with respect to 100 parts by mass of diene rubber containing natural rubber, and a steel cord. A pneumatic tire according to an embodiment includes the rubber-steel cord composite.

A rubber-steel cord composite in which a rubber composition and a steel cord are vulcanized and adhere to each other, wherein the rubber composition contains 1 to 10 parts by mass of a vulcanizing agent, 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of N,N-dibenzylbenzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, a melamine derivative, and a resorcinol compound, with respect to 100 parts by mass of diene rubber containing natural rubber.

Provided are: an elastomer-metal cord composite which can improve various performance of a tire, such as steering stability, corrosion propagation resistance, and belt layer separation resistance; and a tire including the same. In an elastomer-metal cord composite (10), a metal cord (2) composed of a bundle of plural metal filaments (1) that are arranged in a single row without being twisted together is coated with an elastomer (3). A gap is provided between adjacent metal filaments, and when the diameter of the metal filaments is defined as D (mm), a gap amount, which is a distance between the surfaces of the adjacent metal filaments that is measured in a direction orthogonal to an extending direction of the metal cord, is defined as G (mm), and the number of metal filaments constituting the metal cord is defined as N (filaments), the elastomer-metal cord composite (10) satisfies a relationship expressed by the following Formula (1): 0.45≤[(D/2).sup.2×π×N]/{D×[D×N+G×(N−1)]}≤0.77 (1) wherein, D and G>0, and N is an integer.

A metal or metallized reinforcer, at least the surface of which is at least partially metallic, comprises at least a metallic part coated with a polybenzoxazine, the repeat units of which comprise at least one unit corresponding to the formulae (I) or (II): ##STR00001##
in which Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2, which are identical or different, represent an at least divalent, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic bonding group comprising at least one carbon atom and optionally at least one heteroatom selected from O, S, N and P. Such a reinforcement can be used for the reinforcement of a rubber article, in particular a motor vehicle tire.

A reinforced product, which can be used in particular for the reinforcing of a finished rubber article, comprises one or more textile or metallic reinforcing threads, the said thread or threads being covered individually or collectively with a sheath comprising a sheathing composition comprising one or more block copolymers comprising at least one polyamide block and at least one polyolefin block, the sheathed thread or threads being themselves embedded in a rubber composition.

A rubber-steel cord composite in which a rubber composition and a steel cord are vulcanized and adhere to each other, wherein the rubber composition contains 1 to 10 parts by mass of a vulcanizing agent, 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of N,N-dibenzylbenzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, and 0.1 to 5 parts by mass of a bismaleimide compound, with respect to 100 parts by mass of diene rubber containing natural rubber.