Abstract
Solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) is used to improve the wet grip and rolling resistance properties of tire treads. As blending of SBRs can improve the physical properties of tire treads, we investigated the effects of SBR type and blending ratio on the physical properties. Twelve SBR/SBR biblend composites were prepared using four SBRs with different microstructures. The glass transition temperature (Tg), tanδ at 0℃ (wet grip predictor), and tanδ at 60℃ (rolling resistance predictor) were obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis, and were compared to the expected values obtained from the results of single SBR samples. Most of the SBR/SBR biblend composites exhibited crosslink densities lower than the expected values. The tanδ values at 0℃ and 60℃ of the SBR/SBR blend composites deviated from the expected values, with many of the deviations being disadvantageous. Of the twelve composites, six samples had higher 0℃ tanδ values than the corresponding expected values, and four exhibited superior wet grip properties to those of the SBR single samples. In addition, two of the twelve samples exhibited improved rolling resistance properties as compared with the single SBR samples. Finally, four samples exhibited lower Tg values than expected, and the Tg of one composite was lower than those of the single SBR samples.