REINFORCEMENT CORD FOR ELASTOMER PRODUCTS, IN PARTICULAR OF VEHICLE TIRES, AND ELASTOMER PRODUCT

Abstract

The invention relates to a reinforcement cord for elastomeric products, in particular for pneumatic tires, comprising at least one yarn made of filaments.

The invention further relates to an elastomeric product comprising at least one reinforcement cord.

For protection of the environment and conservation of resources, together with good processing performance, at least one yarn of the reinforcement cord comprises filaments made of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF), where the PBF has been produced entirely or at least to some extent from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A reinforcement cord for elastomeric products, in particular for pneumatic tires, comprising at least one yarn made of filaments, Wherein the at least one yarn of the reinforcement cord comprises filaments made of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF), and wherein the PBF has been produced entirely or at least to some extent from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials.

15. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14, wherein the PBF has been produced entirely from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials.

16. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14, wherein all filaments of the at least of one yarn consist of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF).

17. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14 further comprising at least one further yarn made of filaments, wherein the at least one yarn and the at least one further yarn have undergone end-twisting together.

18. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one further yarn consists of filaments made of a nonmetallic material.

19. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least one further yarn consists of filaments made of polyamide, of a polyester other than polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF), of aramid, of polyketone, of manufactured fibers made of natural polymers, or of natural fibers.

20. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14, wherein all yarns of the reinforcement cord consist of polybutylene dicarboxyffiranoate (PBF) filaments.

21. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14, wherein the linear density of the yarn(s) is 200 and 5000 dtex.

22. The reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14, wherein the twist factor a of each yarn or of the reinforcement cord is between 100 and 300, and wherein the twist factor a is calculated according to the following formula:
α=twist [t/m]×(linear density [tex]/1000).sup.1/2.

23. An elastomeric product comprising the at least one reinforcement cord as claimed in claims 14.

24. The elastomeric product as claimed in claim 23, wherein the elastomeric product is a drive belt, a conveyor belt, a hose or an air spring.

25. The elastomeric product as claimed in claim 23, wherein the elastomeric product is a pneumatic tire.

26. The elastomeric product as claimed in claim 25, wherein the pneumatic tire comprises the at least one reinforcement cord as claimed in claim 14 in a carcass ply and/or in at least one bracing ply and/or as a bead reinforcer and/or in a belt bandage.

Description

[0016] For the purposes of the invention, the expression “PBF entirely or at least to some extent made of renewable raw materials” means that—irrespective of the energy source used during production of the PBF—the material present therein has been produced entirely or at least to some extent from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials. PBF consisting entirely or at least to some extent of biomass and/or renewable raw materials is not obtained solely from, or completely excludes (comprises 0% by weight of), fossil raw materials such as petroleum.

[0017] As is known to the person skilled in the art, the proportion of the biobased materials in the PBF, i.e. the proportion derived from renewable raw materials and/or from biomass, can be determined in accordance with ASTM D6866 (method C-14).

[0018] For the purposes of the invention, the term biomass means the entirety of all organic material that is formed via growth and metabolism of animals, plants or microorganisms.

[0019] For the purposes of the invention, the expression renewable raw materials means biogenic resources derived from aquaculture and from agricultural and forestry sources. The expression renewable raw materials therefore excludes fossil sources accessible by virtue of degradation, an example being petroleum.

[0020] In the case of PBF, firstly the underlying monomer furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid can be produced from biomass and/or from renewable materials, for example cellulose, and secondly the second monomer 1,4-butanediol can also be produced from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials. By way of example, 1,4-butanediol can be produced by a biotechnological method via fermentation of sugar.

[0021] It is preferable that both monomers are produced from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials.

[0022] It is moreover conceivable that one of the two monomers or both monomers take(s) the form of mixture, i.e. that the monomer(s) then derive(s) to some extent from biomass and/or from renewable raw materials and to some extent from petroleum.

[0023] Within the yarns of a reinforcement cord, there can be filaments present made of different materials. In an advantageous further development of the invention, however, all filaments consist of at least of one yarn made of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF). Such yarns can easily be spun and twisted.

[0024] The reinforcement cord can consist of a twisted, continuous multifilament yarn. It is also possible, however, that the reinforcement cord comprises at least one further yarn made of filaments, where the yarns have undergone end-twisting t ogether. There are by way of example possible cord structures in which two (2 construction) or three (3 construction) yarns have undergone end-twisting to give a reinforcement cord.

[0025] The, or the further, yarn(s) can consist of filaments of different material. If yarns made of different material are present within the reinforcement cord, this is what is known as a hybrid cord.

[0026] The material for the further yarn can preferably be nonmetallic material, examples being polyester, aliphatic and aromatic polyamides, aramid, polyetherketone, polyketone, polyethylenenaphthalate, viscose, natural fibers or glass fibers. The properties of the reinforcement cord can be adjusted via suitable selection of material.

[0027] In a preferred further development of the invention, the at least one further yarn of the reinforcement cord consists of filaments made of polyamide, of a polyester other than polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF), or aramid, of polyketone, or preferably of manufactured fibers made of natural polymers or of natural fibers. Manufactured fibers made of natural polymers, or natural fibers, clearly have the advantage that the entire reinforcement cord is based on materials that are environmentally friendly and conserve resources and that, for example, are based on crude oil.

[0028] In order to obtain better shrinkage performance of the reinforcement cord, it is preferable in another advantageous further development of the invention that said cord consists of at least one yarn made of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF) and of at least one further yarn made of a polyamide (PA). This is in particular advantageous for the use of this hybrid cord in the belt bandage of a car tire.

[0029] The further yarn particularly preferably consists of PA 6.6- and/or PA 6 filaments and/or PA 10.10 filaments and/or PA 10.12 filaments and/or PA PACM 12 filaments. It is very particularly preferable that the yarn consists of PA 6.6 filaments.

[0030] In order to increase its modulus, the reinforcement cord consists of at least one yarn made of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF) and of at least one further yarn made of aramid. This is in particular advantageous for the use of this hybrid cord in the belt bandage of UHP (ultra high-performance) tires.

[0031] In order to obtain a stable reinforcement cord substantially without shrinkage, said cord consists of at least one yarn made of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF) and of at least one further yarn made of rayon. This is in particular advantageous for the use of this hybrid cord in the carcass of car tires and for the high-velocity performance of car tires.

[0032] In an alternative to the abovementioned hybrid cords, the reinforcement cord can also be a cord in which all yarns consist of polybutylene dicarboxyfuranoate (PBF) filaments. This reinforcement cord is easy to produce and is particularly environmentally friendly, because it derives solely from renewable raw materials.

[0033] The linear density of the yarn(s) in the reinforcement cord is preferably 200 to 5000 dtex. The yarn(s) has/have therefore preferably been twisted with a twist value of 100 to 600 t/m, preferably 100 to 550 t/m, particularly preferably 200 to 550 t/m. Such reinforcement cords are easy to produce and can by way of example be used as reinforcement systems in pneumatic tires.

[0034] If the reinforcement cord is a cord made of a plurality of yarns, these yarns have undergone end-twisting preferably with a twist value of 100 to 600 t/m, preferably 100 to 550 t/m, particularly preferably 200 to 550 t/m. It is particularly preferable that the twist number is approximately the same for the first-twisting of the yarn and for the end-twisting of the cord; it is preferable here that the twist directions of yarns and cord are opposite.

[0035] In order to obtain adequate fatigue resistance of the reinforcement cords, it is advantageous that the twist factor a of each yarn or of the reinforcement cord is between 100 and 300, preferably between 150 and 250, where the twist factor a is calculated according to the following formula: α=twist [t/m]×(linear density [tex]/1000).sup.1/2.

[0036] In order to ensure reliable adhesion of textile reinforcement systems to the rubber, it is advantageous to provide an adhesive impregnation system to the reinforcement cord of the invention, e.g. by using an RFL dip in the 1- or 2-bath process.

[0037] The reinforcement cord of the invention can be used in a very wide variety of elastomeric products, for example drive belts, conveyor belts, hoses or air springs.

[0038] The elastomer product of the invention is preferably a pneumatic tire. Pneumatic tires are mass-produced products where partial replacement of conventional reinforcement cords by biobased reinforcement cords leads to a particularly large effect on the conservation of resources.

[0039] It is preferable that the pneumatic tire comprises the reinforcement cord in the carcass ply and/or in at least one bracing ply and/or as bead reinforcer and/or in the belt bandage. It is particularly preferable that the pneumatic tire comprises the reinforcement cord in the carcass ply and/or in the belt bandage.