GB706832A - A process for producing glass filaments coated with resinous material and the resulting coated filaments - Google Patents

Abstract

Glass filaments are coated with a glycidyl ether of a polyhydric phenol or a polyhydric alcohol which has a 1, 2 epoxy equivalency between 1 and 2, the coating being applied immediately after the filaments have been formed by drawing and then hardened. The glycidyl ethers have the formula: <FORM:0706832/IV(c)/1> where n is O or an integer and R is the divalent radical of the dihydric alcohol or dihydric phenol. The ether is a mixture of compounds which have different values of n and contains a small amount of material with one or both of the terminal glycidyl radicals in hydrated form. The term "epoxy equivalency" means the average number of 1, 2 epoxy groups <FORM:0706832/IV(c)/2> contained in the average molecule. Polyhydric phenols which may be used in the preparation of the ether include resorcinol, catechol, hydroquinone, methyl resorcinol, 2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, 4, 4\sv dihydroxybenzophenone, bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) methane, 1, 1-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) ethane, 1, 1-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) isobutane, 2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) butane, 2, 2-bis (4-hydroxy-2 methyl-phenyl) propane, 2, 2-bis (4-hydroxy-2 tertiary butylphenyl) propane, 2, 2-bis (2-hydroxy-naphthyl) pentane and 1, 5 dihydroxynaphthalene. The ethers have a melting point above 50 DEG C. and may be applied as a melt by small heated rollers in solution with chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene dichloride or trichloropropane. A hardening agent which may be p-toluenesulphonic acid, benzenedisulphonic acid, ethanesulphonic acid, methanedisulphonic acid, phosphoric acid, butyl hydrogen phosphate, BF3-ether complexes, trimethylamine, ethylene diamine, diethylene triamine, diethylamine or piperidine is applied to the coated filament immediately after the application of the ether. The hardening may be promoted by a blast of heated air and the coated filaments may be arranged in parallel relationship to form strands. The coating diminishes the tendency of the glass filaments or strands to abrade each other.