A sizing composition including water, a polyvinylpyrrolidone film former, a silane coupling agent, a lubricant, and a surfactant is provided. The polyvinylpyrrolidone film former constitutes from 30 wt. % to 50 wt. % of the dry solids of the sizing composition. Wet use chopped strand glass fibers for use in reinforcing gypsum board are also provided. The wet use chopped strand glass fibers include chopped glass fibers having the sizing composition applied thereto. The sizing composition improves fiber bundle integrity, fiber flow rate, fiber flow rate consistency, and dispersibility of the wet use chopped strand glass fibers in a gypsum matrix or slurry.

The invention relates to a fibrous mat facer for preparing a gypsum board, to a gypsum board comprising said mat facer and to a system comprising said gypsum board. The fibrous mat comprises at least one ply of a non-woven fabric, and a binder composition, wherein the binder composition represents from 10 to 40 wt % of the total weight of the mat. The binder composition comprises a copolymer comprising a co-monomer unit of a vinyl ester of an alpha branched aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, said copolymer being present in an amount from 25 to 100 wt % of the binder composition weight.

A composition and method for making composite fibers used in the reinforcement of concrete is provided. The composite fibers comprise a plurality of silica-coated glass fibers. The silica particles provide an improved interface between the composite fibers and the concrete matrix.

A method and an apparatus for producing a reinforcement mesh. Here, a reinforcement fiber strand is firstly saturated with a resin (H) and cured to form a cured, fiber-reinforced strand material. The strand material present as an endless material is then cut lengthwise into bars, which are then used as longitudinal bars or transverse bars for forming the reinforcement mesh. A connecting material is used at each intersection point between a longitudinal bar and a transverse bar and is dispensed in liquid form at the intersection point or is liquefied and then cured at the intersection point. A fixed connection is thus created between the longitudinal bars and the transverse bars at the intersection points. Between the intersection points, the longitudinal bars and the transverse bars have portions that are free of connecting material.

Provided is a glass strand that, when mixed with mortar, is less likely to decrease the fluidity of the mortar and can effectively increase the mechanical strength of a cementitious material. A glass strand includes: a plurality of glass filaments containing 12% by mass or more ZrO.sub.2 and 10% by mass or more R.sub.2O (where R represents at least one selected from Li, Na, and K); and a coating covering surfaces of the glass filaments, wherein the coating contains polyvinyl acetate resin and polyether-based urethane resin, and wherein a content of the polyether-based urethane resin in the coating is, in solid content ratio, not less than 10% by mass and not more than 90% by mass.

The present invention relates to amino acid-containing sizing compositions for glass fibers, to glass fibers at least partially coated with such sizing compositions, to a variety of fiber glass products at least partially coated with such sizing compositions, and to composite materials comprising glass fibers at least partially coated with such sizing compositions. In one non-limiting embodiments, a sizing composition for glass fibers comprises an amino acid, a protein, or a hydrolyzed protein. A sizing composition for glass fibers, in another non-limiting embodiment, comprises an amino acid, a protein, or a hydrolyzed protein, at least one film-former, and at least one silane.

The invention relates to a fibrous mat facer for preparing a gypsum board, to a gypsum board comprising said mat facer and to a system comprising said gypsum board. The fibrous mat comprises at least one ply of a non-woven fabric, and a binder composition, wherein the binder composition represents from 10 to 40 wt % of the total weight of the mat. The binder composition comprises a copolymer comprising a co-monomer unit of a vinyl ester of an alpha branched aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, said copolymer being present in an amount from 25 to 100 wt % of the binder composition weight.

Disclosed is a glass fiber-reinforced composite material, an asphalt mixture using the same, and a manufacturing method thereof, the method comprising manufacturing, as a mixed structure, a bundle type fiber reinforcing material by coating with a polypropylene resin; a scrap reinforcing material having pellet or particle shaped glass fiber scrap, the glass fiber scrap having economical and outstanding physical properties and several strands of glass fiber; and adding the same to a hot-mix asphalt mixture, thereby capable of being injected at a plant construction site in a simple manner and improving the performance of the asphalt by preventing the phenomenon of the fiber becoming entangled within the produced hot asphalt mixture.

A glass reinforcement for a cementitious board is provided. The glass reinforcement includes at least one glass fiber and a coating on the at least one glass fiber. The coating includes a polymer composition and an alkali scavenger, wherein the alkali scavenger includes an acid having a pKa of greater than about 3, wherein the acid is in a liquid state at 25 C. Further provided is a reinforcing cementitious board and a method of making a cementitious board.

A glass fiber according to the present invention contains SiO.sub.2 that forms a glass skeleton, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and an elastic modulus adjustment component for improving the elastic modulus; and this glass fiber has acid resistance.