Abstract: Provided is a piping system for an air conditioner installed in a vehicle that can achieve appropriate weight reduction while ensuring appropriate pressure resistance as the piping system as a whole. A circulation path that connects component devices of an air conditioner (8) in an annular shape to circulate a refrigerant (C) is formed by each pipe body extending between the component devices. At least one of the pipe bodies includes: a resin hose (2) embedded with a non-metal reinforcing material (3f) or a resin pipe (5) embedded with a non-metal reinforcing material (6f), and the resin pipe bodies (2), (5) are employed in 50% or more of a total length of each of the pipe bodies constituting the circulation path.

Abstract: A hose for transportation of refrigerant includes an inner layer, a reinforcing layer, and an outer layer. The inner and outer layers each include a thermoplastic resin composition having a sea-island structure including a matrix containing a thermoplastic resin and a domain containing an elastomer. A water vapor permeability coefficient of the thermoplastic resin composition of the outer layer at a temperature of 60° C. and a relative humidity of 100% is 10.0 g·mm/(m2·24 h) or less. An oxygen permeability coefficient of the thermoplastic resin composition of the inner layer at a temperature of 21° C. and a relative humidity of 50% is 0.05 cm3 mm/(m2·day·mmHg) or less. A water vapor permeation amount of the hose is 6.0 mg/(240 h·cm2) or less. A hydrofluoroolefin HFO-1234yf permeation amount of the hose is 170 g/(m2·72 h) or less, and the mass per 1 m2 of the outer surface area of the hose is 3000 g/m2 or less.

Abstract: Provided is a thermoplastic elastomer composition which does not undergo viscosity increase during melt molding, gelation and molding failure, while having excellent heat resistance and durability. A thermoplastic elastomer composition for tires, which contains (A) an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer or a modified ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, (B) a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer, which has a melting point of 200° C. or higher, and (C) an acid-modified elastomer in an amount of 20% by volume or more based on the amount of all polymer components. This thermoplastic elastomer composition for tires is characterized in that if this thermoplastic elastomer composition for tires is extruded at a piston speed of 5 min/min at a temperature that is higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin or thermoplastic elastomer (B) by 20° C.

Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire with a surface provided with a reflective layer that reflects light, the reflective layer including a transparent globule group composed of transparent globules. At least some of the transparent globules are each configured to reflect incident light incident into the transparent globule from outside, at an interface with the outside of the transparent globule, and to emit the light to the outside of the transparent globule as reflected light. The transparent globules are each configured to cause the reflected light to include more amount of non-retroreflected light than retroreflected light, the non-retroreflected light moving further away from an optical path of the incident light according to a distance from the transparent globules, being increased. The transparent globules each have an optical path of the non-retroreflected light with an angle difference of from 2.0 degrees to 2.5 degrees from the optical path of the incident light.

Abstract: Provided is a piping system for an air conditioner installed in a vehicle that can achieve appropriate weight reduction while ensuring appropriate pressure resistance as the piping system as a whole. A circulation path that connects component devices of an air conditioner (8) in an annular shape to circulate a refrigerant (C) is formed by each pipe body extending between the component devices. At least one of the pipe bodies includes: a resin hose (2) embedded with a non-metal reinforcing material (3f) or a resin pipe (5) embedded with a non-metal reinforcing material (6f), and the resin pipe bodies (2), (5) are employed in 50% or more of a total length of each of the pipe bodies constituting the circulation path.

Abstract: Provided is a thermoplastic resin composition for cooling medium transportation pipes, which has high barrier performance, is flexible and has good extrusion moldability. A thermoplastic resin composition which comprises a matrix that comprises a thermoplastic resin and a domain that comprises a rubber and is dispersed in the matrix, the thermoplastic resin composition being characterized by having an oxygen permeability coefficient (cm3·mm/(m2·day·mmHg)) of 0.02 or less at 21° C. and at a humidity of 0%, and being also characterized in that the melt viscosity of the thermoplastic resin constituting the matrix is 300 Pa·s or less at 250° C. and at a shear rate of 243.2 s?1, the thermoplastic resin comprises a thermoplastic resin having a melting point or a glass transition temperature of 150° C. or higher and a thermoplastic resin having an oxygen permeability coefficient of 0.004 or less or comprises a thermoplastic resin having a melting point or a glass transition temperature of 150° C.

Abstract: Provided is an inner liner which adheres to the carcass or other rubber composition layer of a tire, even during low-temperature vulcanization on the order of 160° C., without using an adhesive or an adhesive tie gum. The invention provides a pneumatic tire inner liner comprising a thermoplastic elastomer composition, characterized in that the thermoplastic elastomer composition includes a thermoplastic resin (a11) having a melting point of 180° C. or lower, or a thermoplastic elastomer (a12) having a melting point of 180° C. or lower and including no residue containing an unsaturated bond derived from a conjugated diene compound, and an elastomer (a2) including a residue containing an unsaturated bond derived from a conjugated diene compound, and the tensile elongation at break of the thermoplastic elastomer composition at 25° C. temperature and 500 mm/min pull speed is 100% or greater.

Abstract: In a pneumatic tire production method including a step of overlapping end portions of a sheet laminate and vulcanization-molding the tire, the sheet laminate being obtained by layering an elastomer layer and a sheet of a thermoplastic resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin or a blend of a thermoplastic resin and an elastomer, after the end portions of the sheet laminate are overlapped, the overlapped portion of the sheet laminate is compression-bonded at a temperature of not less than a glass transition temperature Tg of the thermoplastic resin and not greater than 120° C.

Abstract: Provided is a thermoplastic resin composition for refrigerant transporting piping having high barrier properties, flexibility, and good extrusion processability. The thermoplastic resin composition for refrigerant transporting piping is composed of: a matrix containing a thermoplastic resin; and a domain containing a rubber dispersed in the matrix, and is characterized in that the thermoplastic resin has a melting point of 150° C. or higher, the rubber is a butyl-based rubber or an olefin-based rubber, the matrix contains a viscosity stabilizer, the thermoplastic resin composition contains a processing aid and at least one selected from the group consisting of a phenylenediamine-based anti-aging agent, a quinoline-based anti-aging agent, and a trihydric alcohol having a triazine skeleton, and at least a portion of the rubber is crosslinked.

Abstract: Provided is a tire inner liner with which it is possible to suppress resistance to flex fatigue during tire travel and peeling failures at high temperatures, and also reduce rolling resistance at low temperatures. A tire inner liner comprising a material that contains a thermoplastic elastomer composition, which is constituted from a thermoplastic resin or thermoplastic-resin component and an elastomer component, said tire inner liner characterized in that, in a temperature dependent curve of tan ? of the material, the maximum value of tan ? occurs between 20° C. and 70° C. inclusive.

Abstract: Provided is a tire inner liner capable of reducing rolling resistance during tire driving. The present invention provides a tire inner liner that consists of a material containing a thermoplastic elastomer composition consisting of a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic-resin component and an elastomer component, the tire inner liner being characterized in that the ratio of the dynamic storage modulus of the material at 60° C. with respect to the dynamic storage modulus of the material at 0° C. is 0.01-0.3.

Abstract: Provided is a thermoplastic elastomer composition which does not undergo viscosity increase during melt molding, gelation and molding failure, while having excellent heat resistance and durability. A thermoplastic elastomer composition for tires, which contains (A) an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer or a modified ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, (B) a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer, which has a melting point of 200° C. or higher, and (C) an acid-modified elastomer in an amount of 20% by volume or more based on the amount of all polymer components. This thermoplastic elastomer composition for tires is characterized in that if this thermoplastic elastomer composition for tires is extruded at a piston speed of 5 min/min at a temperature that is higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin or thermoplastic elastomer (B) by 20° C.

Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire with a surface provided with a reflective layer that reflects light, the reflective layer including a transparent globule group composed of transparent globules. At least some of the transparent globules are each configured to reflect incident light incident into the transparent globule from outside, at an interface with the outside of the transparent globule, and to emit the light to the outside of the transparent globule as reflected light. The transparent globules are each configured to cause the reflected light to include more amount of non-retroreflected light than retroreflected light, the non-retroreflected light moving further away from an optical path of the incident light according to a distance from the transparent globules, being increased. The transparent globules each have an optical path of the non-retroreflected light with an angle difference of from 2.0 degrees to 2.5 degrees from the optical path of the incident light.

Abstract: A tire comprising an outer tread layer, intermediate sidewall and carcass layers and an innermost air permeation prevention layer: (i) the air permeation prevention (APP) layer having an upper and a lower surface, the layer having a polymer composition exhibiting an air permeation coefficient (APC) of about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.) or less and a Young's modulus of about 1 MPa to about 500 MPa, the polymer composition comprising: (A) at least 10 wt % of at least one thermoplastic resin component having an APC of about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.) or less and a Young's modulus of more than 500 MPa, which is preferably a polyamide resin or mixture, and (B) at least 10 wt % of at least one elastomer component having an APC of more than about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a film for tire used in an air penetration preventing layer of a pneumatic tire, composed of a thermoplastic elastomer with an elastomer component dispersed within a thermoplastic resin includes performing heat treatment on the film for tire formed by inflation molding or cast molding in a state of being wound in a roll together with a liner material configured to regulate deformation of the film for tire, the heat treatment being at a heat treating temperature equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of a resin with a highest glass transition temperature in the thermoplastic resin included in the film for tire.

Abstract: A laminate comprising at least one layer of a first thermoplastic resin composition alternately stacked with at least two layers of a second thermoplastic resin composition so that the outermost layers are the layers of the second thermoplastic resin composition, wherein the first thermoplastic resin composition comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and modified ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, and the second thermoplastic resin composition has a different composition from the first thermoplastic resin composition, and wherein, in any adjacent pair of the layer of the first thermoplastic resin composition and the layer of the second thermoplastic resin composition, the layer of the first thermoplastic resin composition and the layer of the second thermoplastic resin composition have a specific tensile modulus ratio and a specific thickness ratio.

Abstract: A tire comprising an outer tread layer, intermediate sidewall and carcass layers and an innermost air permeation prevention layer: (i) the air permeation prevention (APP) layer having an upper and a lower surface, the layer having a polymer composition exhibiting an air permeation coefficient (APC) of about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.) or less and a Young's modulus of about 1 MPa to about 500 MPa, the polymer composition comprising: (A) at least 10 wt % of at least one thermoplastic resin component having an APC of about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.) or less and a Young's modulus of more than 500 MPa, which is preferably a polyamide resin or mixture, and (B) at least 10 wt % of at least one elastomer component having an APC of more than about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.

Abstract: Provided is an adhesive composition that provides excellent adhesion between a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer in which an elastomer component is dispersed in the thermoplastic resin and a tire by a combination of general-purpose materials, without using any special polymer. The adhesive composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a base polymer and 20 to 50 parts by weight of a resol-type phenolic resin-based resin crosslinking agent, wherein 100 parts by weight of the base polymer comprises 80 to 99 parts by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer and 1 to 20 parts by weight of a halogenated rubber. The resol-type phenolic resin-based resin crosslinking agent is preferably an alkylphenol-formaldehyde resin. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer can include styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, and examples of the halogenated rubber can include chloroprene rubber and chlorosulfonated polyethylene.

Abstract: In a pneumatic tire production method including a step of overlapping end portions of a sheet laminate and vulcanization-molding the tire, the sheet laminate being obtained by layering an elastomer layer and a sheet of a thermoplastic resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin or a blend of a thermoplastic resin and an elastomer, after the end portions of the sheet laminate are overlapped, the overlapped portion of the sheet laminate is compression-bonded at a temperature of not less than a glass transition temperature Tg of the thermoplastic resin and not greater than 120° C.

Abstract: Provided is an adhesive composition that provides excellent adhesion between a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer in which an elastomer component is dispersed in the thermoplastic resin and a tire by a combination of general-purpose materials, without using any special polymer. The adhesive composition comprises 100 parts by weight of a base polymer and 20 to 50 parts by weight of a resol-type phenolic resin-based resin crosslinking agent, wherein 100 parts by weight of the base polymer comprises 80 to 99 parts by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer and 1 to 20 parts by weight of a halogenated rubber. The resol-type phenolic resin-based resin crosslinking agent is preferably an alkylphenol-formaldehyde resin. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer can include styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, and examples of the halogenated rubber can include chloroprene rubber and chlorosulfonated polyethylene.