Process for treating woven glass cloth

Abstract

A solvent wash employing a polar washing solvent is employed to effectively remove the sizing agent on a woven glass cloth, while retaining the tensile strength of the woven glass cloth. Loss of tensile strength of the woven glass cloth due to removal of a sizing agent from the woven glass cloth is compensated by simultaneous or subsequent deposition of a coupling agent on surfaces from which the sizing agent is removed. The concurrent removal of the sizing agent and deposition of the coupling agent provides an effective removal of the sizing agent while maintaining sufficient tensile strength to structurally support the woven glass cloth. Further, integration of the removal of the sizing agent and the simultaneous deposition of the coupling agent in the washing solvent in a same processing step can provide a cost-effective manufacturing method for forming a finished woven glass cloth.

1 . A method of treating a woven glass cloth comprising:
 providing a solution comprising a solvent and a coupling agent;   removing a sizing agent from surfaces of said woven glass cloth in a bath including said solution or another solution; and   immersing said woven glass cloth in said solution, wherein a compound that is derived from said coupling agent is deposited on said surfaces of said woven glass cloth in said solution.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said compound is derived from said coupling agent and coupled to glass fibers of said woven glass cloth through at least one —Si—O—Si— bond. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said coupling agent comprises a silicon atom. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said coupling agent further comprises at least one hydrolysable group directly attached to said silicon atom. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said at least one hydrolysable group includes a hydrolysable group having a formula of OC p H 2p+1 , wherein p is a positive integer. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one hydrolysable group is selected from OCH 3  and OC 2 H 5 . 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said coupling agent includes three hydrolysable groups having a formula of OC p H 2p+1 , OC q H 2q+1 , and OC r H 2r+1 , respectively, wherein p, q, and r are independent positive integers. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said coupling agent further includes an organofunctional group that forms a bond with a polymer. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising applying a binding polymer material to said woven glass cloth after said immersing, wherein said woven glass cloth is embedded in said applied binding polymer material, 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said woven glass cloth is provided by weaving multiple glass fibers oriented in at least two different directions. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein temperature of said woven glass cloth is maintained below 100 degree Celsius between said weaving of said multiple glass fibers and said immersing of said woven glass cloth in said solution. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said solvent is a polar solvent that includes at least one of acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ethyl acetate, ethanol, and methanol. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said woven glass cloth is not embedded in a matrix resin. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said solution is not a water-based solution. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said compound is derived from said coupling agent by hydrolyzation and dehydration upon coupling to surfaces of glass fibers in said woven glass cloth. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said removal of said sizing agent and said deposition of said compound occur concurrently on said woven glass in said solution. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said another solution is a different solution than said solution. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said compound is deposited on said surfaces of said woven glass cloth after said removing of said sizing agent from said surfaces of said woven glass cloth. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said bath includes said another solution, and said another solution includes a solvent that dissolves said sizing agent. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for treating a woven glass cloth comprising:
 at least one container including at least one solution, said at least one solution including a coupling-agent-including solution that comprises a solvent and a coupling agent and having a chemistry that causes a compound that is derived from said coupling agent to be deposited on surfaces of a woven glass cloth introduced into said coupling-agent-including solution, said at least one solution includes a sizing-agent-dissolving solution for removing a sizing agent from said surfaces of said woven glass cloth, wherein said sizing-agent-dissolving solution is the same as, or different from, said coupling-agent-including solution; and   means for immersing said woven glass cloth in, and for subsequently removing said woven glass cloth out of, said coupling-agent-including solution.   
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein said sizing-agent-dissolving solution is the same as said coupling-agent-including solution. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein said sizing-agent-dissolving solution is different from said coupling-agent-including solution, and said means is configured to move said woven glass cloth into said sizing-agent-dissolving solution, then to move said woven glass cloth out of said sizing-agent-dissolving solution, then to move said woven glass cloth into said coupling-agent-including solution, and then to move said woven glass cloth out of said coupling-agent-including solution. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein said coupling agent comprises silicon and at least one hydrolysable group directly attached to said silicon atom. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein said at least one hydrolysable group includes a hydrolysable group having a formula of OC p H 2p+1 , wherein p is a positive integer. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein said solvent is a polar solvent includes at least one of acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ethyl acetate, ethanol, and methanol.