Process for producing treated glass fiber strands for high speed bulking

Abstract

Glass fiber strand is prepared from a process so that the strand can be bulked at higher processing speeds. The process involves drawing the glass fibers from molten glass, applying an aqueous treating composition to the fibers, gathering the treated glass fibers into one or more strands and collecting the glass fiber strands onto one or more packages, drying the packages, rewinding the packages onto a second, more supportive package, steaming one or more of the second packages and drying the steamed packages so that the package has a moisture content of around 1 to about 25 weight percent. The aqueous treating composition used to treat the glass fibers in forming has one or more starches, an aqueous soluble, emulsifiable or dispersible wax wherein the amount of wax in the aqueous treating composition is less than the amount of starch, a cationic lubricant and water. The first drying step is conducted at a temperature to remove moisture from the first package so that the treating composition forms at least a partial coating on the fibers. The steaming step is conducted at a temperature above the melting point of wax, generally above about 145.degree. F. (63.degree. C.). The steamed and dried glass fiber strand yarn, whether twisted or untwisted, can be processed in bulking operations at speeds in excess of 600 yards per minute (1800 feet per minute) up to around speeds of 1,000 yards per minute (3,000 feet per minute) with reduced sloughing of the yarn which occurs as the yarn is pulled from the supply package into the bulking operation.