Analyzing the Recipe Structure of Competitor Tire Tread Sample Using Reverse Engineering

Abstract

Reverse Engineering (RE) is backward engineering to deconstruct the individual components of the final products. It helps to find out mixing errors, reduce design cycle time, enhance product development, improve product quality, and determine the composition of competitor products. This study aimed to analyze the composition of competitor tread tire samples using RE. First, a portion of the sample was tested with TGA/ DTG (Thermogravimetric Analysis/ Derivative thermogravimetric), which calculates the amount and rate of change in the mass of a sample as a function of temperature and time in a controlled environment and found carbon black, ash, and rubber (with volatile matters) content and DTG curve use to identify types of rubbers. Another portion was tested with acetone extraction which is used to separate highly volatile organic materials in rubber samples. GC-MS (Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry) test was done for the extract. The GC separates a mixture of chemicals into individual chemicals. Then MS breaks them into small masses called fragments. Fragments are charged irons with a certain mass. They represent fingerprints for each component, which can be identified by comparing the computer library qualitatively. Another TGA/ DTG, and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) tests were done for the residue. FTIR measure the amount of light absorbed by a functional group at each wavelength, which was used to find types of rubbers present in rubber samples. Only carbon black and ash content from the TGA test was considered. 10.5 phr (parts per hundred rubber) and 53 phr of two types of natural rubbers, 25 phr of Butadiene Rubber, and 11.5 phr of styrene butadiene rubber were obtained. The tread tire contained 53 phr of carbon black and 2.5 phr of ZnO. By considering the quality above 50% in GC-MS test results, steric acid, sulfonamide group accelerators, retarders, anti-degradants, tackifiers, and peptizer were observed qualitatively. By doing GC-MS for a standard sample, the above chemicals in competitor rubber tire samples can be analyzed quantitatively.