Method of making linear interpolymers of monovinyl aromatic compounds and a natural or synthetic rubber

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR MAKING A SUBSTANTIALLY LINERA INTERPOLYMER OF A MONOVINYL AROMATIC COMPOUND AND A RUBBER, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES POLYMERIZING A HOMOGENEOUS LIQUID MIXTURE OF COPOLYMERIZABLE MONO-OLEFINIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING AS THE SOLE POLYMERIZABLE COMPONENTS AT LEAST 63.75 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF A MONOMETRIC POLYMERIZABLE MONOVINYL AROMATIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOVINYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND NUCLEAR HALOGENATED DERIVATICES THEREOF, NOT MORE THAN 21.25 PER CENT OF A MONOMERIC VINYLIDENE COMPOUND WHICH IS A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLONITRILE, METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE AND MONOALKENYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS OF THE BENZENE SERIES AND NUCLEAR CHLORINATED DERCIVATIES THEREOF, AND FROM 1 TO 15 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF AN UNVULCANIZED RUBBER WHICH IS SOLUBLE IN MONOMERIC STYRENE AND IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NATURAL RUBBER, SYNTHETIC GR-S TYPE RUBBER CONTAINING IN CHEMICALLY COMBINED FORM FORM 50 TO 80 PER CENT WEIGHT OF BUTADIENE AND FROM 20 TO 50 PER CENT OF STYRENE, SYNTHETIC BUNA N TYPE RUBBER CONTAINING IN CHEMICALLY COMBINED FORM FROM 75 TO 85 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF BUTADIENE AND FROM 15 TO 25 PER CENT OF ACRYLONITRILE, A COPOLYMER CONTAINING IN CHEMICALLY COMBINED FORM 50 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF BUTADIENE AND 50 PER CENT OF METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE, AND POLYBUTADIENE RUBBER, THE SAID LIQUID MIXTURE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM INSOLUBLE GELS, BY HEATING THE LIQUID MIXTURE OF COPOLYMERIZABLE COMPONENTS AT A POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60* AND 200* C. SUCH THAT THE REACTING MASS IS KEPT IN A FLOWABLE CONDITION AS THE MONOMER IS PROGRESSIVELY POLYMERIZED WHILE AT THE SAME TIME SUBJECTING THE REACTING MASS TO A SHEARING AGITATION SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT APPRECIABLE CROSS-LINKING OF THE POLYMER BEING FORMED WITH RESULTANT FORMATION OF A LINEAR INTERPOLYMER UNTIL AT LEAST 10 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC POLYMERIZABLE STARTING METERIALS HAVE BEEN POLYMERIZED.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR MAKING A SUBSTANTIALLY LINERA INTERPOLYMER OF A MONOVINYL AROMATIC COMPOUND AND A RUBBER, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES POLYMERIZING A HOMOGENEOUS LIQUID MIXTURE OF COPOLYMERIZABLE MONO-OLEFINIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING AS THE SOLE POLYMERIZABLE COMPONENTS AT LEAST 63.75 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF A MONOMETRIC POLYMERIZABLE MONOVINYL AROMATIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOVINYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND NUCLEAR HALOGENATED DERIVATICES THEREOF, NOT MORE THAN 21.25 PER CENT OF A MONOMERIC VINYLIDENE COMPOUND WHICH IS A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACRYLONITRILE, METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE AND MONOALKENYL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS OF THE BENZENE SERIES AND NUCLEAR CHLORINATED DERCIVATIES THEREOF, AND FROM 1 TO 15 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF AN UNVULCANIZED RUBBER WHICH IS SOLUBLE IN MONOMERIC STYRENE AND IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NATURAL RUBBER, SYNTHETIC GR-S TYPE RUBBER CONTAINING IN CHEMICALLY COMBINED FORM FORM 50 TO 80 PER CENT WEIGHT OF BUTADIENE AND FROM 20 TO 50 PER CENT OF STYRENE, SYNTHETIC BUNA N TYPE RUBBER CONTAINING IN CHEMICALLY COMBINED FORM FROM 75 TO 85 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF BUTADIENE AND FROM 15 TO 25 PER CENT OF ACRYLONITRILE, A COPOLYMER CONTAINING IN CHEMICALLY COMBINED FORM 50 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF BUTADIENE AND 50 PER CENT OF METHYL ISOPROPENYL KETONE, AND POLYBUTADIENE RUBBER, THE SAID LIQUID MIXTURE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM INSOLUBLE GELS, BY HEATING THE LIQUID MIXTURE OF COPOLYMERIZABLE COMPONENTS AT A POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60* AND 200* C. SUCH THAT THE REACTING MASS IS KEPT IN A FLOWABLE CONDITION AS THE MONOMER IS PROGRESSIVELY POLYMERIZED WHILE AT THE SAME TIME SUBJECTING THE REACTING MASS TO A SHEARING AGITATION SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT APPRECIABLE CROSS-LINKING OF THE POLYMER BEING FORMED WITH RESULTANT FORMATION OF A LINEAR INTERPOLYMER UNTIL AT LEAST 10 PER CENT BY WEIGHT OF THE MONOMERIC POLYMERIZABLE STARTING METERIALS HAVE BEEN POLYMERIZED.