Adhesion of Steel Tire Cord to Rubber

Abstract This paper reviews the literature on rubber-brass bonding that has been published in approximately the last decade. Previous reviews of this topic by Van Ooij were published in 1979, 1984, 1991 and 2001. The scientific and technical literature is reviewed exhaustively; the patent literature is reviewed in a more selective way. Only U.S. patents are covered, and then only those that clearly propose new processes or materials. Emphasis in this review is on those papers that have contributed to an increased understanding of the mechanisms of rubber-brass bonding as it is of importance to the performance of brass-plated tire cords. Another major component of this review is the literature on compounding for brass adhesion. Literature on tire failure, tire design, or steel cord construction, is not included. This paper is concluded by an updated adhesion model that can be distilled from the recent literature.