US2007071973A1PendingUtilityA1

Method of making nonwoven fibrous mats and preforms and methods of use

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Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Sep 29, 2005Filed: Sep 29, 2005Published: Mar 29, 2007
Est. expirySep 29, 2025(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Klaus Friedrich Gleich
Y10T428/2933C03C 25/26
40
PatentIndex Score
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Claims

Abstract

Sizing compositions for fibers having a viscosity of greater than about 300 centipoise and a binder resin concentration of at least about 90 wt. percent based on the dry weight of sizing chemicals in the sizing are disclosed. Wet, sized glass fibers having such a sizing on their surface and having an LOI of at least about 1 wt. percent are used to make mats by conventional dry laid and preform processes without having to add any additional binder to bond the fibers together. Wet sized, chopped glass fiber products and wet sized fiber roving products having a moisture content of 0.5 to about 20 wt. percent or higher are disclosed. Methods of making wet sized fibers of the invention are disclosed. Methods of using these sized glass fibers to make nonwoven fibrous mats and preforms are also disclosed.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A sizing composition for coating glass fibers comprising a liquid and solids comprising one or more binder resins, one or more silanes and one or more lubricants, the viscosity of the sizing being greater than about 300 centipoise and the concentration of the binder resin being at least about 90 weight percent, based on the dry weight of chemicals in the sizing, the solids concentration of the sizing being at least about 5 weight percent.  
     
     
         2 . The sizing composition of  claim 1  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 95 wt. percent.  
     
     
         3 . The sizing composition of  claim 1  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 97 wt. percent.  
     
     
         4 . The sizing composition of  claim 1  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 98 wt. percent.  
     
     
         5 . The sizing composition of  claim 1  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 99 wt. percent.  
     
     
         6 . The sizing of  claim 1  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         7 . The sizing of  claim 2  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         8 . The sizing of  claim 3  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         9 . The sizing of  claim 3  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         10 . The sizing of  claim 4  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         11 . The sizing of  claim 5  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         12 . The sizing of  claim 1  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 15 wt. percent.  
     
     
         13 . The sizing of  claim 2  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 15 wt. percent.  
     
     
         14 . The sizing of  claim 3  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 15 wt. percent.  
     
     
         15 . The sizing of  claim 3  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 15 wt. percent.  
     
     
         16 . The sizing of  claim 4  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 15 wt. percent.  
     
     
         17 . The sizing of  claim 5  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 15 wt. percent.  
     
     
         18 . The sizing of  claim 3  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 20 wt. percent.  
     
     
         19 . The sizing of  claim 4  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 20 wt. percent.  
     
     
         20 . The sizing of  claim 5  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 20 wt. percent.  
     
     
         21 . Wet, sized glass fibers having on their surface a sizing comprising a liquid and solids comprising one or more binder resins, one or more silanes and one or more lubricants, the viscosity of the sizing being greater than about 300 centipoise and the concentration of the binder resin being at least about 90 weight percent, based on the dry weight of chemicals in the sizing, the solids concentration of the sizing being at least about 5 weight percent and an LOI of the sized fiber after drying being at least about 1 wt. percent.  
     
     
         22 . Wet, sized glass fibers of  claim 21  and wherein the LOI is at least about 3 wt. percent.  
     
     
         23 . Wet, sized glass fibers having of  claim 21  wherein the resin content is at least about 98 wt. percent and the LOI is at least about 3 wt. percent.  
     
     
         24 . Wet, sized glass fibers of  claim 21  wherein the resin content is at least about 98 wt. percent and the LOI is at least about 4 wt. percent.  
     
     
         25 . Wet, sized glass fibers of  claim 21  wherein the length of the fibers is at least about 0.5 inch and the LOI is at least about 1.5 wt. percent.  
     
     
         26 . Wet, sized glass fibers of  claim 21  having a length of at least about 1 inch, a resin concentration of at least about 98 wt. percent and the LOI of is least about 1 wt. percent.  
     
     
         27 . A method of making fibrous nonwoven mats comprising randomly placing wet sized glass fibers having on their surface a sizing comprising a liquid and solids comprising one or more binder resins, one or more silanes and one or more lubricants, the concentration of the binder resin being at least about 90 weight percent, based on the dry weight of chemicals in the sizing, the solids concentration of the sizing being at least about 5 weight percent and an LOI of the fibers being at least about 1 wt. percent, onto a moving collection belt or a permeable form to form a wet, nonwoven mat and then heating the wet nonwoven mat to dry the mat and to cure the binder from the sizing on the fibers to an extent to bind the fibers in the mat together where the fibers contact one another.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the resin content of the sizing is at least about 97 wt. percent of the dry solids.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the resin content of the sizing is at least about 99 wt. percent of the dry solids.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 2 wt. percent.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 3 wt. percent.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 4 wt. percent.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 5 wt. percent.  
     
     
         34 . A method of making a fibrous preform comprising randomly placing wet sized glass fibers having on their surface a sizing comprising a liquid and solids comprising one or more binder resins, one or more silanes and one or more lubricants, the concentration of the binder resin being at least about 90 weight percent, based on the dry weight of chemicals in the sizing, the solids concentration of the sizing being at least about 5 weight percent and an LOI of the fibers being at least about 1 wt. percent, onto a form to produce a wet, nonwoven preform and then heating the wet preform to dry the preform and to cure the binder from the sizing on the fibers to an extent to bind the fibers in the preform together where the fibers contact one another.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  wherein the resin content of the sizing is at least about 97 wt. percent.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34  wherein the resin content of the sizing is at least about 99 wt. percent.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 3 wt. percent.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 3 wt. percent.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 4 wt. percent.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the LOI on the fiber is at least about 4 wt. percent  
     
     
         41 . A method of making wet, sized glass fibers comprising forming glass fibers from a molten glass and applying to the glass fibers a latex sizing, the improvement comprising that the sizing comprises a liquid and solids comprising one or more binder resins, one or more silanes and one or more lubricants, the viscosity of the sizing being greater than about 300 centipoise and the concentration of the binder resin being at least about 90 weight percent, based on the dry weight of chemicals in the sizing, the solids concentration of the sizing being at least about 5 weight percent, the LOI of the sized fibers being at least about 1 wt. percent.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 95 wt. percent.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 97 wt. percent.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 98 wt. percent.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the concentration of binder resin is at least about 99 wt. percent.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 44  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the solids concentration in the sizing is at least about 10 wt. percent.  
     
     
         48 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 21  wherein the wet sized fibers are in the form of a wound roving package.  
     
     
         49 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 21  wherein the wet sized fibers are in the form of chopped fiber strands having a length in the range of about 0.5 to about 5 inches.  
     
     
         50 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 49  wherein the moisture content of the wet sized fiber is in a range of about 0.5 to about 20 wt. percent or higher.  
     
     
         51 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 48  wherein the moisture content of the wet sized fiber is in a range of about 0.5 to about 20 wt. percent or higher.  
     
     
         52 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 49  wherein the moisture content of the wet sized fiber is in a range of about 0.5 to about 8 wt. percent.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 27  wherein a veil mat is applied to a surface of the wet, nonwoven mat by either collecting laying the veil mat onto the collection belt prior to forming the wet, nonwoven mat, or by applying the veil onto the surface of the wet, nonwoven mat before heating.  
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 27  wherein a layer of nonwoven dry non-glass in a random pattern is formed on the collection belt to form a veil mat prior to forming the wet, nonwoven mat.  
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 53  wherein the veil mat is a spunbond fiber mat.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 27  wherein chopped non-glass fiber is dispersed into the wet sized glass fiber prior to forming the wet nonwoven mat.  
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 34  wherein a veil mat is applied to a surface of the preform before heating by either placing it on the mold before laying down the wet, sized fiber or by placing the veil mat onto the top surface of the wet preform prior to heating.  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 34  wherein a layer of nonwoven dry non-glass in a random pattern is formed on the permeable form prior to forming the wet, nonwoven preform.  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the veil mat is a spunbond fiber mat.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 34  wherein during the process of building up the wet, nonwoven preform, the process is interrupted to place a film bag onto the wet surface of the incomplete preform and then the process of placing wet, sized glass fiber is resumed, directing the wet, sized fibers onto the film bag and later onto a partial preform until the desired thickness is achieved, blowing a gas into the bag to form a hollow core in the preform and then drying the preform while maintaining a hollow core in the preform.  
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 34  wherein chopped non-glass fiber is dispersed into the wet sized glass fiber prior to forming the preform.  
     
     
         62 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 26  wherein the wet sized fibers are in the form of a wound roving package.  
     
     
         63 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 26  wherein the wet sized fibers are in the form of chopped fiber strands having a length in the range of about 0.5 to about 5 inches.  
     
     
         64 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 48  wherein the moisture content of the wet sized fiber is in a range of about 0.5 to about 8 wt. percent.  
     
     
         65 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 48  wherein the moisture content of the wet sized fiber is in a range of about 0.5 to about 6 wt. percent.  
     
     
         66 . The wet sized fiber of  claim 49  wherein the moisture content of the wet sized fiber is in a range of about 0.5 to about 6 wt. percent.

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