1. A process for mixing a filler with a rubber blend composition containing an isoprene elastomer and a butadiene elastomer to form a mixed rubber composition, the process comprising the steps of:
(a) combining an isoprene elastomer and a butadiene-containing elastomer, a filler and an antidegradant in a mixing vessel to form a master batch rubber blend composition, the antidegredant being a quinone, a quinone imine, a quinone diimine, or a combination thereof;
(b) mixing the master batch rubber blend composition for a viscosity-reducing effective period of time to mix the master batch composition to a minimum viscosity of the master batch rubber blend composition;
(c) discharging the master batch rubber blend composition from the mixing vessel at the minimum viscosity, the minimum viscosity occurring at a temperature of about 120-160\xb0 C.; and
(d) optionally combining the mixed master batch composition discharged in step c with at least one sulfur-containing vulcanizing agent and vulcanization accelerator, and vulcanizing the resulting composition to form the vulcanized rubber composition.
2. The process of claim 1, wherein the minimum viscosity of the master batch rubber blend composition between the temperatures of about 120-180\xb0 C. occurs at a temperature of about 120-160\xb0 C.; or the master batch rubber blend composition is discharged without increasing the viscosity above the minimum viscosity after mixing the master batch rubber blend composition for the viscosity-reducing effective period of time.
3. The process of claim 1, wherein the antidegradant is a quinone diimine according to Formula (Ia) or Formula (Ib):
wherein R1, R2 and R3 are the same or different and are independently selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, hydroxyl, halogen, alkoxy, alkaryl, cycloalkyl, heterocycle, acyl, aroyl, carbamyl alcohols, thiols, alkylthiols, and cyano.
4. The process of claim 3, where R3 is hydrogen and R1, R2 are the same or different and are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl and aryl.
5. The process of any one of claims 3, wherein the antidegradant compound comprises N-phenyl-N\u2032-1,3-dimethylbutyl-p-quinone diimine.
6. The process of claim 1, wherein the master batch rubber blend comprises about 10-90% natural rubber and the filler comprises carbon black.
7. The process of claim 1, wherein the isoprene elastomer is a natural rubber and the butadiene-containing elastomer comprises at least one compounds selected from the group consisting of: a butadiene rubber, a styrene-butadiene rubber, and a blend of butadiene rubber with styrene-butadiene rubber.
8. The process of claim 1, wherein the master batch is free of a peptizer.
9. The process of claim 1, wherein the elastomer blend is combined with the filler and the quinone diimine antidegradant prior to mixing the unvulcanized rubber composition, the filler being selected from the group consisting of: a carbon black, a silica and a mixture of carbon black and silica.
10. The process of forming a tire comprising the steps of claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a tire from the vulcanized rubber composition.
11. A tire, wherein the rubber composition is produced by a process according to claim 1; after which the vulcanized rubber composition is used to form the tire.
12. A method of decreasing the discharge temperature of a master batch rubber blend composition comprising an isoprene elastomer and at least 5 wt % of a butadiene elastomer, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) combining an isoprene elastomer and a butadiene-containing elastomer in a weight ratio effective to provide a minimum viscosity temperature of about 120\xb0 C.-160\xb0 C., a filler and an antidegradant in a mixing vessel to form a master batch rubber blend composition, the antidegredant being a quinone, a quinone imine, a quinone diimine, or a combination thereof;
(b) mixing the master batch rubber blend composition for a viscosity-reducing effective period of time to reduce the viscosity of the master batch rubber blend composition to the minimum viscosity; and
(c) discharging the master batch composition below about 180\xb0 C. without increasing the viscosity more than about 10% above the minimum viscosity after the viscosity-reducing effective period of time.
13. The process of claim 1, wherein the minimum viscosity for the master batch rubber blend composition is less than about 80 Mooney Viscosity ML(1+4) Units.
14. The process of claim 1, wherein the effective period of time to mix the master batch is less than 450 seconds.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A fabrication method of products with closed micro-channels by injection molding, comprising:
a channel substrate mounting step of mounting a channel substrate comprising opened micro-channels thereon to a mold, wherein the mold comprises an upper mold and a lower mold, and a cavity into which a melting resin is injected is provided between the upper surface of the channel substrate mounted to the lower mold and the upper mold, and controlling the viscosity of the resin so that the micro-channels formed in the channel substrate are retained after the substrate cover is molded onto the substrate channel; and
a substrate cover molding step of molding a substrate cover by injection molding on an upper surface of the channel substrate mounted to said mold, suppressing not to fill the micro-channels by controlling the viscosity of the resin, said substrate cover being coupled to said channel substrate while being molded, the molding step forming the product with closed micro-channels, the molding step forming the product comprising the channel substrate cover coupled to the channel substrate and further wherein the micro-channels are formed between the substrate cover and channel substrate.