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A rubber compound is described containing as a reinforcing filler a layered silicate which is obtained by excessive leaching of a smectitic layered silicate with mineral acids. The rubber compound further contains at least one diene polymer or copolymer and a coupler containing groups reactive with

A rubber compound is described containing as a reinforcing filler a layered silicate which is obtained by excessive leaching of a smectitic layered silicate with mineral acids. The rubber compound further contains at least one diene polymer or copolymer and a coupler containing groups reactive with the filler. There is also described a method for production of the rubber compound and molded articles produced from the rubber compound.

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1. A rubber compound, crosslinkable with sulfur comprising(a) at least one diene polymer or copolymer; (b) a reinforcing filler surprising a finely divided, acid-activated layered silicate derived from at least one smectitic layered silicate; and (c) a coupler containing groups reactive with the fil

1. A rubber compound, crosslinkable with sulfur comprising(a) at least one diene polymer or copolymer; (b) a reinforcing filler surprising a finely divided, acid-activated layered silicate derived from at least one smectitic layered silicate; and (c) a coupler containing groups reactive with the filler; wherein the acid-activated layered silicate has a specific BET surface area of about 80 to about 250 m2/g, an average particle diameter of about 0.4 to 10 μm, a pore volume of about 0.1 to 2 mL/g and an SiO2 content of about 60 to 98 percent. 2. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the diene polymer or copolymer (a) contains no epoxy groups, and wherein the coupler (c) comprises a material selected from the group consisting of (i) a diene polymer or copolymer coupler containing at least one functional epoxy group, (ii) a silane with an additional group reactive with the diene polymer or copolymer of component (a), and (iii) mixtures thereof.3. The rubber compound according of claim 2, wherein the silane material (ii) contains as a reactive group at least one functional group of the form ?Sx?, wherein x is an whole number from 2 to 6.4. The rubber compound of claim 2, wherein the coupler (c) comprises a mixture of the diene polymer or copolymer (i) and the silane (ii) in a weight ratio of about 1:1 to about 5:1.5. The rubber compound of claim 4, wherein the weight ratio of the filler (b) to the diene polymer or copolymer of components (a) and (c) is from about 0.05 to 1 to about 1.5 to 1.6. The rubber compound of claim 2, wherein the coupler (c) comprises a mixture of the diene polymer or copolymer (i) and the silane (ii) in a weight ratio of about 1:1 to about 3:1.7. The rubber compound of claim 6, wherein the diene polymer or copolymer coupler of component (c) has a degree of epoxidation from about 10 to about 60 mol percent, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from ?60 to ?10° C., and comprises from about 5 to about 50 percent by weight of total polymers or copolymers present in component (a) and component (c) combined.8. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the diene polymer of component (a) comprises a natural rubber and the diene copolymer of component (a) comprises a copolymer of a conjugated diene and a material selected from the group consisting of an aromatic vinyl compound, a mono-olefinic aliphatic monomer and mixtures thereof.9. The rubber compound of claim 8, wherein the diene copolymer of component (a) is produced from a material containing from about 5 to about 40 weight percent of an aromatic vinyl compound, and wherein the glass transition point of the diene copolymers of component (a) is between ?70° C. and ?10° C.10. The rubber compound of claim 8, wherein the aromatic vinyl compound is selected from the group consisting of styrene, α-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, o-methylstyrene, vinylnaphthalene or mixtures thereof.11. The rubber compound of claim 8, wherein the mono-olefinic aliphatic monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile and mixtures thereof.12. The rubber compound of claim 8, wherein the conjugated diene is selected from the group consisting of 1,3-butadiene, 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene, 1,3-pentadiene or mixtures thereof.13. The rubber compound of claim 1 wherein the reinforcing filler further comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a finely divided, precipitated silica, a finely divided carbon black and mixtures thereof.14. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the layered silicate has a specific BET surface area of about 80 to 220 m2/g, a CTAB surface area of about 80 to 98 m2/g, an average particle diameter of about 0.4 to 10 μm, a pore volume of about 0.1 to 2 mL/g and an SiO2 content of about 80 to 98 percent.15. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the smectitic layered silicate is obtained by treatment of at least one layered silicate with a mineral acid.16. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the acid-activated layered silicate is derived from the smectitic layer silicate by use of an acid mixture containing fluoride ions.17. The rubber compound of claim 1 wherein the acid-activated layered silicate filler (b) is prepared in a master batch mixture with the coupler (c), wherein the ratio of the acid-activated layer silicate filler (b) to the coupler (c) is from about 0.5 to 1 to about 1.5 to 1.18. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the acid-activated layered silicate comprises from about 20 to 100 percent of the reinforcing filler.19. The rubber compound of claim 1, wherein the diene polymer or copolymer of component (a) is selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, synthetic polyisoprene, polybutadiene, isoprene-butadiene copolymers and ethylene-propylene diene tertpolymers and mixtures thereof.20. A rubber compound cross-linked with sulfur, obtained by vulcanization of the rubber compound of claim 1 at a temperature of more than about 100° C.21. Molded articles produced from the rubber compound of claim 1.22. The molded articles of claim 21, wherein the molded articles is a vehicle tire.23. A method for production of a rubber compound comprisingmixing a diene polymer or copolymer and a reinforcing filler, comprising an acid-activated layered silicate derived from a smectitic layered silicate, with a coupler material using mixing equipment at a temperature from about 105° C. to 150° C. to form a mixture; and blending sulfur or a sulfur donor as a vulcanization chemical with the mixture at a temperature of less than about 100° C.; wherein the acid-activated layered silicate has a specific BET surface area of about 80 to 250 m2/g, an average particle diameter of about 0.4 to 10 μm, a pore volume of about 0.1 to 2 mL/g and an SiO2 content of about 60 to 98 percent. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the reinforcing filler is mixed with the coupler using a master batch mixing procedure.25. The method of claim 23 wherein the smectitic layered silicate is obtained by treatment of at least one layered silicate with a mineral acid.