Glass fiber sizing composition for the reinforcement of resin matrices and method of using same

Claim 2

An aqueous glass fiber sizing composition suitable for sizing glass fibers for use as reinforcement for resin matrices including polyester, epoxy and vinyl ester resins comprising in percent by weight 1.9 to 3.2 of a phenolic epoxy resin, 0.31 to 0.53 of the reaction product of a partial ester of a polycarboxylic acid containing one or more unesterified carboxyl groups with a compound containing more than one epoxy group,

Claim 3

58 to 1.0 of non-ionic surface active agents, a coupling system including 0.14 to 0.44 of an amino silane coupling agent and 0.14 to 0.44 of a methacryloxyalkyltrialkoxy silane, and the balance of said sizing composition being water.

Claim 4

58 to 1.0 of non-ionic surface active agents, a coupling system including 0.14 to 0.44 of an amino silane coupling agent and 0.14 to 0.44 of a methacryloxyalkyltrialkoxy silane, and the balance of said sizing composition being water.

Claim 5

The glass fiber sizing composition of claim 1 wherein said epoxy resin has a molecular weight of less than 400.

Claim 6

The glass fiber sizing composition of claim 1 wherein said reaction product of the partial ester of the polycarboxylic acid containing one or more unesterified carboxyl groups with the compound containing more than one epoxy group is the reaction product of maleic anhydride and the mono-methyl ether of polyoxyethylene glycol, said glycol having a molecular weight of 750 further reacted with 3,4 epoxy cyclohexyl methyl 3,4 epoxy cyclohexane carboxylate.

Claim 7

The sizing composition of claim 1 wherein said amino silane coupling agent is gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane.

Claim 8

The sizing composition of claim 1 wherein said methacrylate silane is methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane.

Claim 9

The sizing composition of claim 1 having up to 0.64 percent by weight of polyoxyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 250 to 600.

Claim 10

The sizing composition of claim 1 having up to 1.6 percent by weight of polyvinyl pyrrolidone.

Claim 11

The sizing composition of claim 1 having up to 0.1 percent by weight of a fatty acid amide lubricant.

Claim 12

In the method of forming glass fiber strand comprising drawing glass filaments from molten cones of glass in a bushing, applying aqueous sizing composition to said filaments during formation, gathering the filaments into strand, and collecting the strand, the improvement comprising sizing the said filaments with an aqueous composition which renders the glass strand produced from said filaments suitable for reinforcing resin matrices including polyester, epoxy and vinyl ester resins and whose solids comprise in percent by weight 1.9 to 3.2 of a phenolic epoxy resin, 0.31 to 0.53 of the reaction product of the partial ester of a polycarboxylic acid containing one or more unesterified carboxyl groups with a compound containing more than one epoxy group, 0.58 to 1.0 of non-ionic surface active agents, a coupling agent system including 0.14 to 0.44 of an amino silane coupling agent, 0.14 to 0.44 of a methacryloxyalkyltrialkoxy silane, and the balance of said sizing composition being water.

Claim 13

In the method of forming glass fiber strand comprising drawing glass filaments from molten cones of glass in a bushing, applying aqueous sizing composition to said filaments during formation, gathering the filaments into strand, and collecting the strand, the improvement comprising sizing the said filaments with an aqueous composition which renders the glass strand produced from said filaments suitable for reinforcing resin matrices including polyester, epoxy and vinyl ester resins and whose solids comprise in percent by weight 1.9 to 3.2 of a phenolic epoxy resin, 0.31 to 0.53 of the reaction product of the partial ester of a polycarboxylic acid containing one or more unesterified carboxyl groups with a compound containing more than one epoxy group, 0.58 to 1.0 of non-ionic surface active agents, a coupling agent system including 0.14 to 0.44 of an amino silane coupling agent, 0.14 to 0.44 of a methacryloxyalkyltrialkoxy silane, and the balance of said sizing composition being water.

Claim 14

The method of claim 9 wherein said epoxy resin has a molecular weight of less than 400.

Claim 15

The method of claim 9 wherein the reaction product of the partial ester of the polycarboxylic acid containing one or more unesterified carboxyl groups with the compound containing more than one epoxy group is the reaction product of maleic anhydride and the monomethyl ether of polyoxyethylene glycol said glycol having a molecular weight of 750, further reacted with 3,4 epoxy cyclohexyl methyl 3,4 epoxy cyclohexane carboxylate.

Claim 16

The method of claim 9 wherein said amino silane coupling agent is gamma aminopropyltriethoxy silane.

Claim 17

The method of claim 9 wherein the methacrylate silane is methacryloxy propyltrimethoxy silane.

Claim 18

The sizing composition of claim 9 having up to 0.64 percent by weight of polyoxyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 250 to 600.

Claim 19

The sizing composition of claim 9 having up to 1.6 percent by weight of polyvinyl pyrrolidone.

Claim 20

The sizing composition of claim 9 having up to 0.1 percent of a fatty acid amide lubricant.

Claim 21

Glass fibers produced by the method of claim 9.