Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Processes of preparing a desired or intentional composition...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-21
2003-11-11
Medley, Margaret (Department: 1714)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Processes of preparing a desired or intentional composition...
C524S086000, C524S087000, C524S100000, C528S373000, C528S374000, C528S390000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06646029
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pyrimidine derivative for use in the hardness stabilization of rubber-compounds and a method of improving the hardness stabilization of rubber by adding the pyrimidine derivative and associated accelerators to an unvulcanized rubber composition.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Vulcanizing rubber compositions by heating a sulfur-vulcanizable rubber composition with sulfur and/or a sulfur donor and a vulcanization accelerator has been known for many years. By this process vulcanizates having acceptable physical properties including tensile strength, resilience, and fatigue resistance can be obtained, but such vulcanizates tend not to have good aging properties. A typical aging phenomenon is hardening, which is explained below.
Uncured as well as cured rubbers are prone to aging effects. The unsaturated groups in diene rubbers, e.g. styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) or a blend of SBR with natural rubber, butadiene rubber or with both, make it possible to cure with sulfur, but at the same time they exhibit a sensitivity toward oxygen, ozone, and other reactive substances causing changes such as hardening of the vulcanizate. Unaged diene rubbers contain free double bonds that remain sensitive to the above reactive substances even after vulcanization. Higher temperatures make these effects even more noticeable. Also, since unreacted double bonds are present in the rubber vulcanizate, there is the possibility of further reaction with sulfur causing hardening, i.e. additional crosslinking, of the vulcanizate.
The use of antioxidants will retard the oxygen-induced aging of the vulcanizate, but will not affect the increase in hardness due to sulfur-induced crosslinking.
L. H. Davis et al. in
Rubber Chemistry and Technology
, Vol. 60, 1987, 125-139, disclose the use of 2,2′-dithiobispyridine-N-oxide and the zinc salt of pyridine-2-thiol-N-oxide as a primary accelerator alone or in combination with a low amount of a benzothiazole-2-sulfenamide accelerator in the sulfur vulcanization of polyisoprene, e.g., natural, rubber compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,213 discloses rubber vulcanization accelerators comprising pyrimidinylthio-phthalazines, particularly 1-(4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinylthio)-phthalazine, that achieve reduction in scorch.
C. J. Rostek et al, in
Rubber Chemistry and Technology
, Vol. 69, 1996, 180-202, disclose the use of novel sulfur vulcanization accelerators based on mercapto-pyridine, -pyrazine, and -pyrimidine. This reference relates to polyisoprene rubbers, which do not harden.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,303 discloses the inhibition of premature vulcanization of natural or synthetic diene rubbers by including in the vulcanizable composition accelerating agents, such as thiazole accelerators and a compound comprising certain pyrimidinesulfenamides, such as N-cyclohexyl-4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidinesulfenamide. The compound of this reference is formulated so as to be effective in inhibiting premature vulcanization in the vulcanizable composition to which it is added.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a vulcanizable composition comprising a sulfur vulcanizable rubber, a sulfur vulcanizing agent, an accelerating agent selected from the group consisting of sulfenamide accelerators, other than thiazole sulfenamides, and a hardness stabilization agent comprising a pyrimidine derivative of the formula:
Where X=H, R
1
through R
4
, NR
3
R
4
, OR
5
, SR
5
, SO
2
R
6
, M, (SO
3
),M (M=metal ion), and n and z can be the same or different and 1, 2 or 3, depending on whether the respective valence of X and M is 1, 2 or 3, R
1
through R
4
are the same or different and selected from the group consisting of the substituents H, halogen, OH, NH
2
, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, aralkyl, with the substituents alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl and aralkyl optionally having additional functional groups selected from the group consisting of NH
2
, OH, substituted amino, substituted hydroxyl, halogen, and carbonyl containing group, when R
3
and/or R
4
are one of the substituents alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl and aralkyl, they may be in the same constituent in a ring together with N to form a heterocyclic group, R
5
is selected from the group consisting of the substituents H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl and aralkyl, or a radical derived from a carbon based heterocyclic group containing at least one of S or N, or both S and N, R
6
is selected from the group consisting of the substituents alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, aralkyl, H, OH, OM, NH
2
, NR
3
R
4
, and OR
5
, the amount of accelerating agent in said composition being greater than about 0.6 phr when said rubber is SBR and at least about 0.5 phr when said rubber is natural rubber, and the amount of hardness stabilization agent being at least about 0.5 phr.
In a second embodiment, the present invention comprises a method of improving the hardness stabilization of rubber which includes adding the above composition to an unvulcanized rubber composition followed by vulcanization of the rubber composition.
Other embodiments of the invention encompass specific pyrimidine derivatives, accelerators, details about relative amounts of reactants, and unvulcanized rubber compositions, all of which are hereinafter disclosed in the following discussion of each of the facets of the present invention.
DETAILED DISCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, it has been found that by adding appropriate amounts of certain pyrimidine derivatives and non-thiazole sulfenamide accelerators to a vulcanizable rubber composition comprising natural rubber or other rubbers, vulcanizates, from which, e.g., pneumatic tires can be made, having improved properties can be obtained. These combinations of accelerators and pyrimidine derivatives have the effect of stabilizing the hardness properties of the rubber vulcanizate, e.g., during the service life of a pneumatic fire, without inhibiting or slowing vulcanization, i.e. increasing “scorch” time, in the production of the tire. Thus, hardness stabilization is achieved without slowing of the vulcanization process, thereby avoiding loss in production efficiency.
In this application, the abbreviation “phr”, means the number of parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of rubber. In the case of a rubber blend, it is based on 100 parts by weight of total rubber.
Either natural rubber (NR), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) or a blend of NR and SBR or NR and SBR with one or more other rubbers can be used in the invention process, it being understood that for purposes of this invention the term “rubber” means; an elastomer containing a hydrocarbon unit which is a polymer with some unsaturated chemical bonds. Typically, SBR, a blend of SBR with natural rubber (NR), a blend of SBR with polybutadiene rubber or butadiene rubber (BR), or a blend of SBR with NR and BR is used. The type of rubber or mixture of rubbers will have some affect on the precise amounts of accelerator and pyrimidine derivative appropriate to achieve hardness stabilization without inhibition of the vulcanization.
Typically, the amount of pyrimidine derivative hardness stabilizing agent employed in the process of the present invention will be at least about 0.5 phr. The preferred upper limit is about 10.0 phr, most preferably 3.0 phr.
In the process of the present invention sulfur and/or a sulfur vulcanizing agent is employed. The amount of sulfur to be compounded with the rubber usually is 0.1 to 10 phr, preferably in excess of about 1 phr. If a sulfur donor is used the amount thereof should be calculated in terms of the amount of sulfur.
Typical examples of sulfur donors that can be used in the process of the present invention include dithiodimorpholine, caprolactam disulfide, tetramethylthiuram disulfide, and dipentamethylenethiuram tetrasulfide. The reader is referred to W. Hofmann,
Rubber Technology Handbook
, Hanser Publishers, Munich 1989, in particular pages 231-233.
Particularly prefe
Datta Rabindra Nath
Lin Horng-Jau
Maender Otto William
Fennelly Richard P.
Flexsys America L.P.
Medley Margaret
Morris Louis A.
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