Abstract: A curing press for tires is operated with a minimum curing time which will provide the near-optimum number of cure equivalents at the point of least cure without locating it. An average temperature for a particular period during the year is "set" in a programmable controller ("PC") based on minimum and maximum temperature measurements made in the curing room during the day and night over a preselected period of time. The actual ambient temperature is measured at the press, which temperature is essentially that of the green tire just before it is loaded in the prss. The PC controls operation of the press, and is used to provide a near-optimum but variable curing period, depending upon the difference between the "set" temperature and the actual (green tire) temperature, and whether it is greater than, or less than the "set" temperature, to provide a near-perfect cure without tracking the point of least cure.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting tires according to an alphanumeric code printed directly on the tread surface of each tire. Green (uncured) tires are supplied on a feed conveyor, single file, to a receiving station of a tire painting machine (tire painter), and each is elevated, then indexed to a painting station (booth) where the green tire is to be painted, inside and outside, before it is taken to a curing press. While in the elevated position in the booth, the code is optically read by a line-scan camera system, before the tire is painted. The information read is stored and processed by a microprocessor after it locates the code which determines how the tire is to be sorted, and disregards another production code not pertinent to the task at hand. A first programmable controller (PC) locates the horizontal center line of the tire, indexes to the next of three station in the painter on cue, and imparts rotation to the tire so that the camera system can perform its functions.

Abstract: Shaped articles which have excellent solvent resistance and resistance to fatty acids are formed from a thermoplastic polyblend of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), polyolefin (PO), and a graft copolymer of a polyolefin (PO-G). The thermoplastic polyblend contains a PO and PO-G (PO/PO-G) as a first continuous single phase, PVC and CPE as the second and third dispersed phases, and the relative amounts of the components are chosen so that there is, at most, an equal amount by weight of PO and PO-G each of which may be present in an amount as high as 40 parts by weight when the PVC is present in an amount in the range from 40 to 70 parts, so as to provide a mechanically compatible polyblend without miscibility or chemical compatibility. Further, a glass fiber reinforced (GFR) polyblend of PVC/CPE/PO/PO-G having a HDT of at least 95.degree. C. and sufficient thermoformability to form the desired article has excellent notched impact strength.

Abstract: A process is provided for forming an electrically conductive polymer of a pyrrole monomer, optionally substituted at the 3- and 4- positions. The process comprises dispersing a polymerization initiator selected from the group consisting of anhydrous halides of iron, cobalt or nickel (Group VIII metal) in an anhydrous liquid reaction medium and, adding essentially pure pyrrole monomer, or a solution of the monomer in the liquid at a temperature in the range from about -20.degree. C. to below about the boiling point of the solution. The pyrrole polymer so formed is a Group VIII metal halide counterion, and a conductor having a conductivity in the range from about 1 to about 150 ohm.sup.-1 cm.sup.-1 ("S/cm" for brevity), or a semiconductor having a conductivity in the range from about 10.sup.-3 to about 1 S/cm, depending upon the particular structure of the monomer, the ratio of the initiator to pyrrole monomer, and the molecular weight of the polymer formed.

Abstract: A poly(.alpha.-aminoacetamide) ("poly(AAMID)" for brevity) main chain having terminal polysubstituted piperidinyl chain ends are novel compounds which have highly desirable UV-light stabilizing (UV-S) activity coupled with unexpectedly good thermal stability. These compounds, referred to as "piperidinyl-chain ended poly(AAMID)s", are oligomers which contain from 2 to about 18 AAMID repeating units, for use in polymer recipes to formulate a stabilized polymeric composition comprising a UV-light-degradable organic polymer containing an effective amount of the poly(AAMID) sufficient to stabilize the polymer. A poly(AAMID) is especially effective in a polyolefin in which there is from about 0.1 percent by weight (% by wt), to about 5% by wt of the oligomer, and is also effective in a wide variety of pastel colored and/or transparent commercially significant polymers.

Abstract: A batch-type pyrolysis furnace fired by a main heat source such as a gas burner or an electric heating coil in combination with an afterburner to burn volatiles generated in the furnace's main chamber, is operated to incinerate high-polymer loads smokelessly, yet is effectively safeguarded from explosions. A single thermocouple (zone TC) senses the instantaneous temperature in a critical sensitive zone (CSZ) of the furnace and in cooperation with a programmable controller (PC), maintains a preselected ramp and soak temperature profile over the entire burn cycle. The CSZ has been found to be within about 1' (foot) from the upper edge of the throat, and not lower than about 6" (inches) from the ceiling of the main chamber. When the temperature required by the profile is exceeded, a single water spray actuated by a signal from the PC lowers the temperature below the profile.

Abstract: A batch-type pyrolysis furnace fired by a main heat source such as a gas burner or an electric heating coil in combination with an afterburner to burn volatiles generated in the furnace's main chamber, is operated to incinerate high-polymer loads smokelessy, yet is effectively safeguarded from explosions. A single thermocouple (throat TC) senses the instantaneous temperature in the throat of the furnace and in cooperation with a programmable controller, maintains a preselected ramp and soak temperature profile over the entire burn cycle. When the temperature required by the profile is exceeded, a single water spray actuated by a signal from the PC lowers the temperature below the profile. The throat TC thus maintains a fire under controlled temperature conditions in the main chamber without an explosion, using a single-stage system.

Abstract: A modified Williamson etherification in the presence of phase transfer catalyst is used to synthesize alternating block copolymers and regular copolymers. Unsaturated polyethers of a polynuclear dihydric phenol containing chloroallylic (electrophilic) end groups (prepared from cis- or trans-1,4-dichloro-2-butene and Bisphenol A) and aromatic poly(ether sulfone)s containing terminal phenol (nucleophilic) groups are polycondensed in the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate as phase transfer catalyst to give alternating block copolymers. The same telechelic polymers were chain-extended with dinucleophilic or dielectrophilic monomers under similar reaction conditions. Both the regular copolymers and the alternating block copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography and DSC.

Abstract: Pressure is controlled in plural stages of a shaping system for a green tire in a curing press, so that each successive shaping stage is completed when a target pressure for that stage is reached. A radial tire is preferably shaped in three stages in the first of which a first target pressure in the range from 2 psig to 5 psig is the desired shaping pressure; in the second stage, a second target pressure in the range from 7-10 psig is desired; in the third stage, a third target pressure in the range from 10-15 psig is desired. A pressure transducer (PT) senses the pressure in a bladder, one PT for each bladder. A programmable controller (PC) which controls operation of the press, stores and executes a sequence of instructions which determine the optimum desired shaping pressure for each stage, computed from the type and size of the tire to be cured, the period of time the press is down before it is loaded, and the number of heats on each bladder.

Abstract: The operation of a fluid-bed reactor in which the catalyst has a proclivity to stickiness deleterious to efficiently carrying out a reaction of the gaseous components fed to the reactor, is controlled by monitoring the fluctuations in temperature at various locations in the bed, and computing the standard deviation of temperature at predetermined intervals of time. When the fluid-bed consists essentially of a supported catalyst performing at peak efficiency, near which it has a proclivity to "stickiness", slight fluctuations, less than 1.degree. F., of operating temperature are correlatable to the quality of fluidization and the risk of an uncontrollable upset in the reactor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of substantially precluding the accumulation of combustible organic vapors in a storage container by placing comminuted vulcanized rubber as an absorbing medium in contact with the vapors.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for evaluating the level of objectionable noise associated with the operation of a tire by virtue of its tread contacting a road surface, which comprises digitizing the tread design on a coordinate system so as to define load-supporting portions of the tread in contact with the pavement, and distinguish them in binary form from those portions of the tread which are not in contact, as multiple matrix elements; defining a generally arcuate profile of a leading or trailing edge of a footprint of the tread by fitting an equation to the edge; sequentially performing the time ensemble summation, of the noise produced by each matrix element, over every matrix element on the entire circumferential surface; converting the sequence of summations to a periodic analog signal; converting the analog signal to a sound; and, aurally evaluating the sound. In a simplified case 0's and 1's along at least one footprint edge are sequentially summed around the circumference of the tire.

Abstract: A branched chain polyalkylenepolyamine ("PAPA") amine having plural amine groups including a secondary amine group intermediate terminal primary amine groups and having at least two carbon atoms between each amine group, is reductively alkylated with a ketone to provide a PAPA alkylated only at an unhindered primary amine group. A preselected degree of steric hindrance at amine groups near each end of the chain enables cyclization by the `ketoform synthesis` by reaction with a ketone in such a manner as to form a polysubstituted piperazinone ("PSP") ring which includes N atoms of proximate primary and secondary amine groups of the alkylated PAPA. The PSP so formed may then be reacted with a reactive triazine ring so that a PSP substituent is linked to the triazine ring through a single N atom and at least two C atoms, to form a 2-oxo-piperazinyl-triazine ("PIP-T"). Oligomers of the PIP-T may be prepared.

Abstract: A curing press for tires, commonly manifolded to other curing presses in a curing room, are operated with a minimum blowdown time which is variable from one cycle of each press to another cycle. A first signal is generated by a pressure transducer ("PT") in pressure communication with the bladder(s) of each curing press; this first signal is compared to a second signal corresponding to a target pressure, which second signal is stored in a programmable controller ("PC"). The PC controls operation of the press, and is used to provide a variable blowdown period; how quickly this target in the PC is reached, is a function of the pressure in a common blowdown manifold for plural presses.

Abstract: Oligomers of polyarylene polyethethers (PAPE) having a mol wt Mn in the range from 1000 to about 10,000 are converted to difunctionalized oligomers so as, in the first instance, to provide a reactive double bond (for example, a vinylbenzyl group) at each end of the PAPE; and, in the second instance, to provide a triple bond (benzylethynyl group) at each end of the PAPE. The PAPE most preferably has a repeating unit which is the residuum of two dihydric phenols or thiophenols ("DHP") linked through a C=O, --S--S--, or --SO.sub.2 -group, or a Si or C atom, and or ether O, or thioether S atoms. The preferred repeating unit is formed by reaction of a DHP such as bisphenol A (BPA) with a halogenated DHP such as dichlorophenyl sulfone (DCPS) so as to provide an alternating configuration. The repeating unit may also include a linking residue of a reactive solvent which residue provides chain extension in the backbone.

Abstract: A nitroamine is formed from an aliphatic amine reactant + a nitroalkane + an aldehyde with better conversion, and faster, if the aldehyde is added last, and gradually, so as not to form an alkanolamine intermediate with the aldehyde as in the prior art reactions. In particular, a diamine such as ethylene diamine (EDA) has the unique ability, even among diprimary amines, to react with nitroalkane, to form a salt intermediate to which is added an essentially solvent-free aldehyde such as paraformaldehyde to produce a reaction product consisting essentially of a mixture of (i) a mononitrodialkylenediamine with a disubstituted N-adjacent terminal C atom and (ii) a dinitrotrialkylenediamine with each N-adjacent terminal C atom being disubstituted; and the mixture is obtained in an yield of at least 90 mol %.

Abstract: A bis-polysubstituted piperazinone ("bis-PSP") in which two PSP moieties are closely coupled through an ethylene linkage, may be esterified so as to incorporate particular moieties in a macromolecule which may have only one bis-PSP unit, or may be esterified to form an oligomer having plural esterified bis-PSP repeating units. The macromolecule not only exhibits excellent UV-stabilization and antioxidant properties in synthetic resinous materials thus performing a highly effective dual function, but also is resistant to extraction with solvents, particularly polar solvents.

Abstract: A conductive composite is formed which consists of a host polymer and polypyrrole ("PP") deposited on and within the host polymer. Instead of using a conductor as a starting substrate, an insulating polymer is at least partially impregnated with sufficient pyrrole (PY) monomer to become conductive after the PY is polymerized. The polymerization is a chemical oxidative polymerization ("dip-polymerization") which, if carried out under anhydrous conditions, transforms the insulating polymer into a semiconductive composite consisting essentially of the host polymer containing a first species of conductive PP and a Group VIII metal halide counterion; thereafter, the semiconductive composite, containing the counterion, is used to electrodeposit on it a second species of conductive PP.

Abstract: A cationic ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic ether ("CE") in conjunction with an unsaturated alcohol (propagator) having a styryl or substituted styryl group, produces a polyether macromer having the styryl group near one end and a hydroxyl group at the other. The polymerization proceeds by polyaddition of the CE to the OH group which is the propagating species. The CE is an alkylene oxide or an aliphatic or aromatic glycidyl ether; the propagator is a primary or secondary alcohol. The catalyst is a Friedel-Crafts acid, strong protic organic or inorganic acid, oxonium salt, or the like. Plural cyclic ethers may be (a) sequentially polymerized to form macromer block copolyethers, or, (b) polymerized randomly to form macromer copolyether copolymers. The cationically ring-opened macromer formed always contains a trace of a cyclic oligomer of the CE.

Abstract: The vexing problem of post-urinary drip in males can be solved by providing a loop means removably disposed around the scrotum, the loop means being located above the testicles. The loop means is attached to a slotted sheath of polymeric material which sheaths the penis in its normal or "rest" (non-erect) position; the loop and sheath may each be formed, integrally or separably, from an urine-absorbent ("u-a" for brevity) film of hydrophilic synthetic resinous material; or, the loop and sheath may each be formed from a natural fabric such as cotton, or a non-absorbent synthetic resinous material in which sheath a u-a liner means, preferably of polymeric material such as a monoolefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid-containing polymer is removably held. The hydrophilic polymer is formed from a block copolymer of sequences of acrylonitrile and sequences of a major portion of glutarimide units; or, a film formed from sequences of acrylonitrile and sequences of a major portion of acrylamide units.