A first tire member manufacturing method includes an operation in which master batch is made, and an operation in which the master batch and high-cis polybutadiene rubber are mixed. The operation in which the master batch is made includes an operation in which carbon-black-containing pre-coagulation rubber latex is coagulated to obtain a coagulum, an operation in which a compound according to Formula (I) is added to the water-containing coagulum, and an operation in which the compound according to Formula (I) is dispersed within the coagulum.

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In Formula (I), R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each indicates a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, an alkenyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, or an alkynyl group having 1 to 20 carbons. R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be the same or different, M.sup.+ indicates sodium ion, potassium ion, or lithium ion.

A tire manufacturing method includes making a master batch, using the master batch to make a rubber composition, and making a green tire. The master batch is made wherein a carbon-black-containing pre-coagulation rubber latex is coagulated to obtain a coagulum; a compound according to Formula (I) is added to the water-containing coagulum;

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wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each indicates a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, an alkenyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, or an alkynyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be the same or different, and M.sup.+ indicates sodium ion, potassium ion, or lithium ion; and the compound according to Formula (I) is dispersed within the coagulum. The green tire is provided with unvulcanized rubber sheeting made up of the rubber composition, chafer(s), carcass ply or plies, and bead filler(s).

A method for producing a tire member yielded using at least a filler, a dispersing solvent and a rubber latex solution as raw materials comprises at least a step (iii) of dehydrating the rubber solidified product containing the filler to produce the tire member. The step (iii) is a step of adding, to the rubber solidified product containing the filler, a peptizer and a compound represented by the following formula (I):

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and dispersing the compound represented by the formula (I) in the rubber solidified product containing the filler, this product containing water, while dehydrating the rubber solidified product containing the filler.

Provided is a method for producing a tire member that can give a vulcanized rubber high in fatigue resistance. The method includes: (i) mixing carbon black, a dispersing solvent and a rubber latex solution with each other to produce a rubber latex solution including the carbon black; (ii) solidifying the resultant rubber latex solution including the carbon black to produce a rubber solidified product including the carbon black; (iii) adding, to the resultant rubber solidified product including the carbon black, a compound represented by the following formula (I):

##STR00001##

and dispersing the compound represented by the formula (I) into the rubber solidified product including the carbon black, this product containing water, while dehydrating the rubber solidified product including the carbon black to produce a wet rubber masterbatch; and (iv) adding, to the resultant wet rubber masterbatch, silica and a silane coupling agent, and dry-mixing these substances with each other.

The present invention is directed to a plug for sealing a puncture in a tyre, whereby the plug comprises a head portion and a tail portion, the head portion comprising: a porous material that comprises open pores and capable of absorbing >0.02 grams of water per gram of porous material; and an accelerant selected from the group consisting of a salt, a polar solvent, an acid, and any combinations thereof, wherein the accelerant is retained in the pores of the porous material and is configured to react on contact with a curable sealant selected from the group consisting of anionic stabilized sealants, steric stabilized sealants and anionic colloidal dispersions thereby reducing curing time of the sealant, and wherein the porous material does not comprise the sealant.

Provided is a method of producing a wet master batch, including the step of: solid-liquid separating and dehydrating a coagulum slurry obtained by mixing a rubber latex with a carbon black slurry containing a carbon black dispersed in water and coagulating the mixture, the solid-liquid separating and dehydrating step including gravity filtering and vacuum filtering the coagulum slurry on a filtration filter and then pressurizing, by means of a pressurizer, the coagulum slurry on the outer peripheral surface of a drum, to thereby pressure dehydrate the coagulum slurry. Also provided is a solid-liquid separating and dehydrating apparatus for wet master batch production, which includes: a filtration filter; a filtration portion; a drum; and a pressurizer.

Methods to make a silica elastomer composite with a destabilized dispersion of a never-dried, or as-produced, precipitated silica are described, along with silica elastomer composites made from the methods. The advantages achieved with the methods are further described.

The invention relates to a method for modifying the surface of an elastomer product with unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, in particular a glove, whereby the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds in the region of the surface are at least partially saturated by a photochemical reaction with at least one thiol or by applying or dipping to apply a layer of latex to at least certain regions of the surface of the elastomer product, the unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds of which in the region of its surface are at least partially saturated by a photochemical reaction with at least one thiol.

Provided are a method for manufacturing a rubber composition, which method can give a rubber composition provided with excellent reinforcement properties by improving the dispersibility of fibers in a rubber component when the fibers are added to the rubber, a rubber composition obtained using this method, a vulcanized rubber, and a tire. The method is a method for manufacturing a rubber composition comprising short fibers, comprising a dispersion preparation step for preparing a short fiber dispersion by adding the short fibers into a liquid, a mixed dispersion preparation step for preparing a mixed dispersion by adding at least one dispersant selected from the group consisting of carbon black and inorganic compounds into the short fiber dispersion, a mixing step for mixing the mixed dispersion and rubber latex to prepare a rubber-short fiber mixed solution, and a drying step for drying the rubber-short fiber mixed solution to give a rubber composition.

In the step (I), the period (minute(s)) for dispersing the carbon black species A showing a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area (N.sub.2SA-(A)value) of 130 m.sup.2/g or less in the dispersing solvent and that minute(s)) for dispersing the carbon black species B showing an N.sub.2SA-(B) value lower than the N.sub.2SA-(A) value by 25 m.sup.2/g or more in the dispersing solvent by (A) and (B), respectively, and further representing the rotation number (rpm) of a rotor of a dispersing machine used in the dispersing when the carbon black species A is dispersed, and that (rpm) of a rotor of a dispersing machine used in the dispersing when the carbon black species B is dispersed by (A) and (B), respectively, the following expression is satisfied:
1.1(B)(B)(A)(A)1.5(B)(B) (1).