Rubber coated steel cord adhesion

The thin coating of brass on the steel cord is the primary adhesive used in steel-to-rubber bonding. The quality of this bonding system built up during vulcanization of, for example, a radial tire will influence the performance of the steel ply or steel belt in the tire and, ultimately, the durability of the product. Though the mechanism of bond formation in rubber-steel cord adhesion is very complex, a brief review of the current understanding of wire to rubber adhesion is presented. 

Steel cord has been the main reinforcing material for tyres, hoses and conveyor belts for many decades, indeed the first steel reinforced tyres appeared over ninety years ago. However, it was not until the emergence of radial tyres that steel cord became a common form of reinforcement and understandably the adhesion between brass-coated steel cord and rubber compound became a significant factor governing the performance and durability of car and truck tyres. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve a high level of adhesion and sustain this level throughout the service history of the tyre. 

The influence of polymers and additives on the service life of non-tread tyre components is discussed on the basis of results obtained from studies of inner liner, belt and sidewall compounds. The effects of the bromine content of bromobutyl rubbers on the performance of inner hners, and of sulphenamide accelerators on the adhesion of NR belt compounds to brass coated steel cords were investigated. The mechanical properties and ageing and ozone resistance of black sidewall compounds consisting of NR blends with neodymium catalysed polybutadiene protected with different antioxidants and antiozonants were also evaluated. 5 refs. 

Insoluble Sulfur. In natural mbber compounds, insoluble sulfur is used for adhesion to brass-coated wire, a necessary component in steel-belted radial tires. The adhesion of mbber to the brass-plated steel cord during vulcanization improves with high sulfur levels ( 3.5%). Ordinary rhombic sulfur blooms at this dose level. Crystals of sulfur on the surface to be bonded destroy building tack and lead to premature failure of the tire. Rubber mixtures containing insoluble sulfur must be kept cool (<100°C) or the amorphous polymeric form converts to rhombic crystals. 

Rubber tyre cord adhesion W J VAN OOlJ Adhesion to brass-coated steel Rubber-based adhesives J M MARTfN MARTInEZ General introduction Rubber-based adhesives compounding J M MARTIN MARTfNEZ Formulations, etc. 

Rubber tyre cord adhesion W J VAN OOIJ Adhesion to brass-coated steel... 

Cobalt is important to the rubber industry to promote rubber-to-metal adhesion. The use of cobalt salts, such as cobalt stearate or cobalt naphthenate as compounding additives, will promote better adhesion between cured rubber and brass-coated steel tire cord. 

Resorcinol formaldehyde resin is a vital ingredient in the HRH rubber adhesion compounds (such as wire coat stock or breaker stock) in order to achieve good rubber-to-brass-coated steel tire cord adhesion. 

While it is possible to get some adhesion using HRH without the hydrated silica, many times insufficient adhesion is imparted. Thus hydrated precipitated silica is a very important component of the HRH system if it is used to achieve adequate rubber-to-metal adhesion. This is particularly true with rubber-to-brass-coated steel tire cord adhesion where there are very few practical alternatives. 

Zinc metal is also used to alloy with copper to form brass. Brass-coated steel tire cord is used to achieve good rubber-to-metal adhesion. 

Recently, van Ooij et al. have reviewed adhesion of steel tire cord to rubber (van Ooij et al., 2009). The authors reviewed the literature extensively and provided an updated model for adhesion to brass-plated tire cord, which incorporated observations made by many techniques. They discussed the effects of different compounding ingredients and the possible alternatives to the current brass coatings. They note that the use of cobalt compounds improves the adhesion between rubber and brass-coated cords, but new adhesion promoters have been developed as replacements for Co, or for combined use with Co. They also discussed the use of phenolic-resin adhesion promoters. They describe the various techniques that have been developed to study the rubber-brass interface and its aging mechanism. 

The adhesive layer between the rubber and cord is generally considered to be formed by the interaction between the copper and the vulcanization system. As a result of this, optimization of the vulcanization system with respect to adhesion is critical. Also, a change in the composition of the brass coating on the steel wires, or a change in the thickness, can require a change in the vulcanization system in order to maintain the optimum level of adhesion. 

One of the most recent innovations for bonding tyre cord to rubber has been the nse of silanes to promote adhesion and to protect the interface [60, 61]. Other non-metallic systems, such as tetrachlorobenzoquinone [62] and chloropyrimidines and chlorotriazines [63] have also been studied. Regarding copper free coating of steel, alloy systems containing Zn/Ni/Co [64], Zn/Co [65,66] and other zinc alloys [67] have been proposed. 

Zinc oxide is essential in rubber technology because it is the most commonly used activator for sulfur cure systems. Just about every rubber compound that uses sulfur as the vulcanizing agent will most likely contain a small amount of zinc oxide to activate the cure. Also zinc is alloyed with copper to form brass. Special brass-plated steel tire cord is a primary reinforcing material for producing steel-belted radial tires. The brass coating of the steel tire cord enables very good rubber-to-metal adhesion. Therefore, zinc metal and zinc oxide are very important to the rubber industry. 

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