System for preparing glass fiber pellets having low discoloration

US6365272B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Owens-Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Nadia Masson · Battice, BE
• Jean-Marc Henrion · Theux, BE
• James L. Thomason · Newark, US
• Leonard J. Adzima · Pickerington, US
• Terry L. Cheney · Coshocton, US
• Willy Piret · Jalhay, BE
• Marc Cossement · Polleur, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 29, 1999
• Grant date: Apr 2, 2002
• Expiry date: Dec 29, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T428/2967
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A two-part sizing system for making colorless, densified fiber pellets of a reinforcing fiber material. The densified product may be advantageously produced by first applying a precursor size composition to reinforcing fiber strands, chopping the reinforcing fiber strands into chopped strand segments, applying a binder size, and densifying the chopped strand segments to form densified fiber pellets. The binder size is formulated using a copolymer of maleic anhydride which generates a product free from discoloration. In the process of making the pellets, the sized chopped strands are densified by tumbling in a rotating chamber for a period of time sufficient to increase their density but insufficient to degrade the fibers to a point where composite articles formed from such pellets have lower tensile or impact strengths than comparable composite articles formed from unpelletized strand segments.