NO773855L - APPLIANCE FOR GLASS FIBERS. - Google Patents

Description

Finishing agent for glass fibres

The present invention relates to a finishing agent for glass fibres, as this finishing does not cause discolouration.

The aforementioned finishing agent is particularly suitable for glass that is used for mixing in polyamides.

Glass fiber sleeved polyamides, e.g. nylon, is currently being molded into many articles for use in the automotive and appliance industry. In order to achieve the best improvement in terms of properties, the composition with which the glass is finished must be miscible with the polyamides.

It is known that polyurethanes based on aromatic diisocyanates provide finishing agents which cause excellent adhesion between glass and polyamides. These finishing agents, however, tend to discolor laminates made from the glass fiber reinforced nylon materials, so that the laminates do not display a white color but display a green or brown discoloration.

A large number of these polyurethanes are based on toluene derivatives, such as toluene diisocyanate, which is an aromatic diisocyanate, the use of which leads to discolored laminates.

Glass fiber finishes suitable for use have now been found

on glass fibres, which are mixed into polyamides, can be produced by the use therein of polyurethanes based on aliphatic or cyclic diisocyanates. Use of the latter materials eliminates discolouration to a large extent, while at the same time they do not adversely affect the quality of the finished product.

The invention thus relates to a glass finishing agent comprising an aqueous mixture of (1) a polyurethane latex emulsion produced by chain extension of an NCO-terminated prepolymerization produced from the reaction product of an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diisocyanate with a polyalkylene ether polyol, (2) a silane coupling agent and optionally (3) a lubricant.

Thus, by using this preparation agent, a glass fiber is obtained where at least part of the surface is in contact with a residue formed by the removal of water from an aqueous composition comprising (1) a polyurethane latex emulsion produced by chain extension of an NCO-terminated prepolymer produced from the reaction product of an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diisocyanate with a polyalkylene ether polynol, (2) a silane coupling agent and optionally (3) a lubricant.

This finishing agent can be used for the production of polyamide resins reinforced with glass fibres.

A particularly suitable polyurethane latex emulsion, based on aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diisocyanates, which can be used in the present invention is designated "X1042H" and is sold by BASF Wyandotte, Wyandotte, Michigan. For details regarding this latex emulsion reference is made to US Patent Nos. 3,401,133 and 3,563,943 which describe in detail the preparation of the special preparation "X1042H".

The polyurethane latex emulsion is used in the finishing agent in an amount within the limits of 3' to 20 parts per 100 parts by weight.

Any suitable coupling agent comprising an organic silane can be used. Preferably, an organic silane is used, such as gamma-aminopropyl trimethoxyJan A suitable coupling agent of this type is that designated "AllOO" and sold by Union

Carbide.

The coupling agent is used in the finishing agent in an amount from 0.2 to 4 parts per 100 parts by weight.

Any suitable lubricant can be used and a preferred lubricant is the cationic condensation product of dimethylaminopropylamine and pelargonic acid. This material has a specific gravity of about 1, a viscosity of about 500 eps at 25°C and a pH (5% water release) of about 5.5 to about 7. A preferred lubricant having these properties is available from Emery Industries under the designation " Emerstat 6665". Another suitable lubricant is an amide-substituted polyethyleneamine, e.g. "Emery 6717" from Emery Industries.

The lubricant is used in the finishing agent in an amount of up to

5 parts per 100 parts by weight.

Produced using conventional methods which are described in the following. It can be applied to any type of glass fiber that is conventionally used as reinforcement for pressing compounds, and it is applied during the forming operation so that the fibers after drying have a solids content of from 0.3 to 2.0% by weight based on the loss of slag.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are apparent from the following exemplary embodiments.

Example I

This example illustrates the production of approximately 378 liters of a finishing agent according to the invention.

Approximately .152 liters of demineralized water is added to a main mixing container.

About 3.6 kg of gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (Union CarbideAllOO) is mixed with about 37.8 liters of demineralized water in a first pre-mixing container until the formed solution is clear (about 10 minutes) and the solution is added to the contents

in the main mixing container.

About 27 kg. polyurethane latex emulsion (X1042H) was mixed

with approximately 75.6 liters of demineralized water in another premix container for approximately 10 minutes and the resulting mixture was added to the contents of the main mixing container.

After complete mixing (about 15 minutes), the contents of the main mixing vessel had a solids content of about 4.7% by weight and a pH of about 9.

The finishing agent produced in this way is applied to separate glass fibers using conventional application methods and speeds so that the solids content of the fibers after drying was approximately 0.6% by weight.

Example II

This example illustrates the production of approximately 378 liters of a finishing agent according to the invention.

Approximately 94 liters of demineralized water was added to a main mixing vessel.

About 3.76 kg of gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (Union Carbide AllOO) was mixed with about 76 liters of demineralized water in a first pre-mixing vessel until the solution formed was clear (about 10 minutes) and the solution was added to the contents of the main mixing vessel.

About 20.8 kg of polyurethane latex emulsion (X1042H) was mixed with about 76 liters of demineralized water in a second premix tank for about 10 minutes and the resulting mixture was

added to the main mixing container.

About 3.76 kg of lubricant (Emery 6665) was mixed with about 38 liters of demineralized water in a third premix tank for about 10 minutes and the resulting mixture was introduced into the main mixing tank.

After complete mixing (approximately 10 minutes), the contents of the main mixing vessel had a solids content within the limits of 2.5 to 4.5 percent by weight and a pH within the limits of 9 to 10.

The finishing agent produced in this way is applied to separate glass fibers using conventional application methods and speeds so that the solids content of the fibers after drying was approximately 0.6% by weight.

Example III

This example illustrates the production of a pressed article reinforced with glass fibers which was finished with the finishing agent according to example I.

The finishing agent according to Example I was applied to 816 "E" glass fibers with diameters from 0.012.7mm to 0.014mm during the forming using a roller-type application device. The prepared fibers were collected in the form of a strand. The strand was wound up into a coil and dried for about 16 hours at about 113°C. The solids content of the strand after drying was approximately 0.6% by weight.

Fifty coils of the prepared string were placed in a frame

me and the strands from the fifty coils were quickly joined through guide lures to form a roving bundle, which was then cured.

for about 16 hours at 113 oC. The roving was pulled out from the ro-

the wing bundle. and was cut up into fibers of approximately 6.*+ mm length.

About 3 parts by weight of chopped fibers were placed in a mixing cylinder along with about 7 parts by weight of nylon 6.6 having a melt index of 2.0 and a molecular weight of about 100,000. The resulting mixture was then placed in a 63.5. mm extrusion

there of the "Pridex Machine Screw Extruder" type and heated electrically to approximately 282°C. The mixture was sprayed into 3.2 mm diameter cylindrical rods which were inserted into a Cumberland Pelle tizer type pelletizer to form 6.1+ mm length pellets. The grits are in turn fed to an injection molding machine at a temperature of 288°C and were formed into a standard specimen 1 according to ASTM D-638.

The test piece was white in color and proved to have a tensile failure limit of approximately 1820 kg/cm 2 , a modulus of elasticity of 0.8l+ x 10 5 kg/cm 2 . and a skå<o>r impact buoy limit according to IZ0D of 0.163 kgm/cm.

Claims (7)

1. Finishing agent for glass fibres, characterized by the fact that it includes a) a polyurethane latex emulsion produced by chain extension of an NCO-terminated precursor produced from the reaction product of an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic diisocyanate and a polyalkylene ether polyol b) a silane coupling agent. 2. Finishing agent as stated in claim 1, characterized in that it also includes a lubricant. 3. Finishing agent as stated in claim 2, characterized in that the lubricant is a cationic condensation product of dimethylaminopropylamine and pelargonic acid. h. Finishing agent as stated in claim 2, characterized in that the lubricant uses 3 in d. an aqueous mixture in an amount of up to 5 parts per 100 parts by weight. 5. Finishing agent as stated in claim 1, characterized in that the silane coupling agent t is gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. 6. Finishing agent as stated in claim 1, characterized in that a silane coupling agent is used in the water content i.ge mixture in an amount of from 0.2'> t', 1 h parts per 100 parts by weight. 7. Finishing agent as stated in claim 1, characterized in that polyurethane latex emulsion is used in d. an aqueous mixture with an amount of from 3' ti! 20 parts per 100 parts by weight.