English Abstract

Development of Tire with Modified Natural Rubber Aiming at Petroleum-free Tire Takao WADA Mamoru UCHIDA Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan Naoya ICHIKAWA Toshiaki SAKAKI Takayuki HATTORI SRI research and development Ltd., Chuo-ku, Kobe1, Japan Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2008),81(2),51-57 General Review in Japanese Abstract The protection movement of the global environment by reducing petroleum consumption and CO2 emission is the important problem for all industries including the car manufacture. Our company decided the concept of developing petroleum-free tire aiming at the following two points to contribute to the society as a tire producer in 2000. One is to increase the usage of petroleum-free materials and the other is to reduce a tire's rolling resistance for reduced fuel consumption. The weight ratio of petroleum-free material is raised from 44 % to 70 % by replacing synthetic rubber with natural rubber, carbon black with silica, mineral oil with vegetable oil and synthetic fiber with vegetable fiber. The substitution of rubber is important to t he weight ratio of petroleum materials and tire performance. The rolling resistance and the grip performance in a wet road were improved by using the epoxidized natural rubber. Keywords: Epoxydized Natural Rubber, Petroleum-Free

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