A rubber composition for vulcanization molding which can be manufactured into a rubber product with good dimensional stability, good appearance and sufficiently light weight, a process for manufacturing the same, and applications thereof. A rubber composition for vulcanization molding containing hollow particles and a base rubber, wherein the hollow particles are composed of a thermoplastic resin shell and a thermally vaporizable blowing agent encapsulated therein and have a specified further expansion ratio, and the base rubber has a Mooney viscosity ML (1+4) ranging from 5 to 90 at 100 C. Also disclosed is a process for manufacturing the rubber composition, hollow particles used for manufacturing the rubber composition, a masterbatch including the hollow particles and a rubber product manufactured from the rubber composition.

A process for producing a wet rubber masterbatch yielded by using, as raw materials, at least a filler, a dispersing solvent, and a rubber latex solution, comprises a step (i) of mixing the filler, the dispersing solvent and the rubber latex solution with each other to produce a filler-containing rubber latex solution, a step (ii) of solidifying the filler-containing rubber latex solution to produce a filler-containing rubber solidified product, and a step (iii) of dehydrating the filler-containing rubber solidified product to produce the wet rubber masterbatch. At the time of representing the temperature of the filler-containing rubber solidified product before the dehydration in the step (iii) by T1 ( C.), and representing the temperature of the filler-containing rubber solidified product after the dehydration by T2 ( C.), the following expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied:

T1100(1)

80T2T1160(2).

A tire tread and a tire are provided, more particularly, a tire having a tread or other elastomeric component within enhanced composite material properties, including, but not limited to, modulus ratio, percent elongation at break, and/or tan delta, wherein the tire, tread or other elastomeric component comprise composites characterized by well dispersed reinforcing filler, which can be indicated by macrodispersion.

The present invention provides a rubber composition that can offer excellent abrasion resistance when applied to a tire member such as a tread, without deteriorating rolling resistance. To solve the problem, a rubber composition according to the present invention contains a rubber component, hydrous silicate, and a surfactant, in which the hydrous silicate is modified by the surfactant before being kneaded with the rubber component.

There is provided a thermocouple temperature detector mounting structure for a mixing tank for which the temperature detecting end of the thermocouple temperature detector mounted on the high viscosity mixing material mixer is capable of measuring temperature in real time and for which the mechanical load applied, by the flow of the material being mixed, on the temperature detecting end is made as small as possible. A temperature sensing portion with a hemispherical tip, of a protective inner tube that accommodates a thermocouple element of a thermocouple temperature detector, is mounted on a mixing tank, for mixing a high viscosity mixing material, so as to project from the end of a protective tip that projects into the mixing tank. With the outside diameter of a projecting base section of the protective tip that projects into the mixing tank being 2 to 3 times that of the protective inner tube, and with the projecting length (h) that projects into the mixing tank being the same length as the difference of the radius of the projecting base section of the protective tip and the radius of the protective inner tube, the outer circumferential face of a shoulder section of the protective tip, that is from the projecting base section of the protective tip to the site connecting to the outer circumference of the protective inner tube, is formed in a convex arcuate face that has a radius that is the difference of the radius of the projecting base section of the protective tip and the radius of the protective inner tube.

This disclosure is to provide a method of manufacturing a rubber composition comprising kneading a rubber composition that includes 100 parts by mass (pbm) of a rubber component (A) including 50 mass % or more of natural rubber, 5-50 pbm of at least one kind of thermoplastic resin (B) selected from among C5-based resins, C5-C9-based resins, C9-based resins, terpene-based resins, terpene-aromatic compound-based resins, rosin-based resins, dicyclopentadiene resins, and alkylphenol-based resins; 20-120 pbm of a filler (C) including silica; at least one kind of vulcanization accelerator (D) selected from among guanidines, sulfenamides, thiazoles, thiourea and diethyl thiourea; a silane coupling agent (E); and a vulcanizing agent (F). The kneading comprises a kneading stage A for kneading components (A)-(C), part or all of component (D), and 2 pbm or more of component (E), and a kneading stage B for kneading component (F) with a kneaded product of the kneading stage A.

A method for producing a thermoplastic resin composition includes melt-blending 50 to 80 parts by mass of a crystalline polyester resin and 20 to 50 parts by mass of an amorphous polyester resin with an extruder, thereby producing a first polyester resin compound. The method further includes melt-blending 90 to 99 parts by mass of the crystalline polyester resin and 1 to 10 parts by mass of a styrene-acrylonitrile-glycidyl methacrylate terpolymer with the extruder or a different extruder, thereby producing a second polyester resin compound. The method further includes compounding 1 to 10 parts by mass of the first polyester resin compound, 1 to 10 parts by mass of the second polyester resin compound, and respective predetermined amounts of a polycarbonate resin, a flame retardant, an antidrip agent, an antioxidant, a lubricant and a toughening agent.

Provided are a polymer ready for introduction into a kneading machine which is milled with good milling efficiency in a kneading machine and which provides a kneaded mixture with excellent filler dispersion, and a rubber composition and a pneumatic tire containing the polymer. The present invention relates to a polymer ready for introduction into a kneading machine, excluding natural rubber, the polymer having a temperature within the range of 20 C. to 80 C. and satisfying the following formula (I):

(Tip clearance d of kneading machine).sup.3(Volume V of polymer ready for introduction into kneading machine)2.010.sup.4 cm.sup.3 (I).

A temperature sensor (10) for measuring a temperature of a mixture being mixed in an internal mixer includes a fixed part having a substantially cylindrical body (12) and a removable part (16) of domed shape arranged inside a conduit of the body. The temperature sensor also includes a blowing stem (14) in communication with a source of compressed air that extends along a conduit (12c) of the body and terminates at an outlet end (14a) disposed in the removable portion (16), whereby the compressed air exits the blowing stem (14) and passes uninterruptedly through a temperature measuring element or elements at a contact end (16b) of the removable portion. A combination of an internal mixer and a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a mixture being mixed in the internal mixer is also disclosed.

The relative displacement in the axial direction between an outer ring fixing member or casing and an inner ring fixing member or rotor is determined, said outer ring fixing member being a member for affixing an outer ring of a bearing on one side, and said inner ring fixing member being a member for affixing an inner ring of the bearing on the one end side. When calculating a thrust load acting on the rotor by multiplying the determined relative displacement by a conversion coefficient, an axial force measuring bolt is used as a tightening bolt for affixing the bearing on the one end side, said axial force measuring bolt enabling measurement of a load acting in the axial direction. The axial force measured by the axial force measuring bolt and the relative displacement during measurement of the axial force are used to calibrate the conversion coefficient.