Ppg Industries, Inc.

L Dow Moore

Balbhadra Das

Chester S Temple

Ed C Hsu

An aqueous sizing composition, method of preparing same and sized glass fibers are provided that enables the production of sized glass fibers having improved filamentization. Improvements of the present invention emanate from the use of an interaction product of an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer and an amino organo silane coupling agent in an aqueous sizing composition that also contains a predominant amount of a cross-linkable film former. The aqueous sizing composition has one or more cross-linkable film formers, one or more organo silane coupling agents and about 2 to about 12 weight percent of an interaction product of an unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent and an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer. The epoxy copolymer has about 2 to about 12 parts of monomer with epoxy functionality per 100 parts of copolymer. Also the epoxy copolymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from -10.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. The unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino silane coupling agent is contacted with the epoxidized copolymer, where the copolymer has a percent solids in the range of about 15 to about 60 weight percent. The aqueous sizing composition is applied to glass fibers during their formation, and the sized glass fibers are gathered into strands and dried at a temperature of above 100.degree. C. for about 4 hours. A plurality of the dried, sized glass fiber strands are gathered dried and collected for use in various forms such as chopped strands, continuous strands, mats and the like for reinforcing polymeric materials.

Process for preparing sized glass fiber roving

An aqueous sizing composition, method of preparing same and sized glass fibers are provided that enables the production of sized glass fibers having improved filamentization. When these sized glass fibers are used for reinforcing polymeric materials the polymeric materials have good filamentization resulting in reinforced polymeric materials having good mechanical properties such as tensile strength and compaction without detrimentally affecting fuzz, fly or static properties of the strands. The sizing composition and method of producing same and sized glass fiber strand and reinforced polymeric materials and other improvements of the present invention eminate from the use of an interaction product of an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer and an amino organo silane coupling agent in an aqueous sizing composition that also contains a predominant amount of a cross-linkable film former. The aqueous sizing composition has one or more cross-linkable film formers, one or more organo silane coupling agents and about 2 to about 12 weight percent of an interaction product of an unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent and an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer. The epoxy copolymer has about 2 to about 12 parts of monomer with epoxy functionality per 100 parts of copolymer. Also the epoxy copolymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from -10.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. The unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino silane coupling agent is contacted with the epoxidized copolymer, where the copolymer has a percent solids in the range of about 15 to about 60 weight percent. The sizing composition can also have additional additives like lubricants, plasticizers, emulsifiers, urea formaldehyde condensates and the like. The method of producing the aqueous sizing composition involves having at least one organo silane coupling agent which is an amino organo silane coupling agent which is split for addition so that a predominant amount in an unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed form is added to the cross-linkable film former and the remaining amount of the unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent is added to the epoxidized copolymer. The aqueous sizing composition is applied to glass fibers during their formation, and the sized glass fibers are gathered into strands and dried at a temperature of above 100.degree. C. for about 4 hours. A plurality of the dried, sized glass fiber strands are gathered dried and collected for use in various forms such as chopped strands, continuous strands, mats and the like for reinforcing polymeric materials.

Aqueous sizing composition and sized glass fibers and method

Sized glass fibers are provided that enables the production of sized glass fibers having improved filamentization. When these sized glass fibers are used for reinforcing polymeric materials the reinforced polymeric materials having good mechanical properties such as tensile strength and compaction without fuzz, fly or static properties of the strands. The reinforced polymeric materials and other improvements of the present invention eminate from the use of an interaction product of an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer and an amino organo silane coupling agent in an aqueous sizing composition that also contains a predominant amount of a cross-linkable film former. The aqueous sizing composition has one or more cross-linkable film formers, one or more organo silane coupling agents and about 2 to about 12 weight percent of an interaction product of an unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent and an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer. The epoxy copolymer has about 2 to about 12 parts of monomer with epoxy functionality per 100 parts of copolymer. Also the epoxy copolymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from -10.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. The unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino silane coupling agent is contacted with the epoxidized copolymer, where the copolymer has a percent solids in the range of about 15 to about 60 weight percent. The sizing composition can also have additional additives like lubricants, plasticizers, emulsifiers, urea formaldehyde condensates and the like. The method of producing the aqueous sizing composition involves having at least one organo silane coupling agent which is an amino organo silane coupling agent which is split for addition so that a predominant amount in an unhydrolyzed form is added to the cross-linkable film former and the remaining amount of the unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent is added to the epoxidized copolymer. The aqueous sizing composition is applied to glass fibers during their formation, and the sized glass fibers are gathered into strands and dried at a temperature of above 100.degree. C. for about 4 hours. A plurality of the dried, sized glass fiber strands are gathered dried and collected for use in various forms such as chopped strands, continuous strands, mats and the like for reinforcing polymeric materials.

Glass fibers reinforced polymeric polymers can be produced with high strength properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength by using sized glass fiber strands of the present invention. The sized glass fiber strands have a residue of an aqueous sizing composition comprising: aqueous dispersible, emulsifiable, or solubilizable polyurethane polymer, polyepoxide polymer, polyethylene-containing polymer, and wax, where the weight ratio of the polyethylene containing polymer to the wax is in the range of about 25 to 1 to about 1 to 25, and one or more amino silane coupling agents. In addition to the amino silane coupling agent, the sizing composition may have an epoxy silane coupling agent and/or a lubricant modified silane coupling agent. The wax can be deleted from the composition, when the polyethylene-containing polymer has limited branching. The sized glass fiber strands can be produced by conventional forming process or by a wet chopped glass fiber forming process.

Aqueous sizing composition for glass fibers and sized glass fibers for

An aqueous sizing composition, method of preparing same and sized glass fibers are provided that enables the production of sized glass fibers having improved filamentization. The aqueous sizing composition has one or more cross-linkable film formers, one or more organo silane coupling agents and about 2 to about 12 weight percent of an interaction product of an unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent and an epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer. The epoxy copolymer has about 2 to about 12 parts of monomer with epoxy functionality per 100 parts of copolymer. Also the epoxy copolymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from -10.degree. C. to about 70.degree. C. The unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino silane coupling agent is contacted with the epoxidized copolymer, where the copolymer has a percent solids in the range of about 15 to about 60 weight percent. The method of producing the aqueous sizing composition involves having at least one organo silane coupling agent which is an amino organo silane coupling agent which is split for addition so that a predominant amount in an unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed form is added to the cross-linkable film former and the remaining amount of the unhydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed amino organo silane coupling agent is added to the epoxidized copolymer. The aqueous sizing composition is applied to glass fibers during their formation, and the sized glass fibers are gathered into strands and dried at a temperature at above 100.degree. C. for about 4 hours.

An aqueous sizing composition, glass fiber strands having the dried residue of the aqueous sizing composition and processes for producing these articles are provided that enable the production of glass fiber reinforced polymeric materials having improved properties. In addition, improvements are obtained in the processability of using glass fiber roving in the production of sheet molding compound, bulk molding compound and thick molding compound. The sizing composition, sized glass fiber strands, processes, reinforced polymeric materials and improvements of this invention emanate from the use of epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymers in aqueous sizing compositions that are substantially insoluble in the matrix polymer. The aqueous sizing composition has one or more cross-linkable film formers, one or more organosilane coupling agents and about 3 to about 12 weight percent of the aqueous sizing composition of the epoxidized polar thermoplastic copolymer. The epoxy copolymer has about 3 to about 10 parts of epoxy functionality per 10 parts of the functionality of the other polymer material in the copolymer. Also the epoxy copolymer has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from ambient temperature to about 50.degree. C. The sizing composition can also have additional additives like lubricants, plasticizers, emulsifiers, urea formaldehyde condensates, and the like. The aqueous sizing composition is applied to glass fibers during their formation, and the sized glass fibers are gathered into strands and dried. A plurality of the dried, sized glass fiber strands are gathered, dried and collected for use as reinforcement in polymeric materials.

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Allison Park, PA, United States of America

L Dow Moore