US2662044A - Coated fabrics - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1953 A. R. MORRISON ETAL COATED FABRICS 2 Sheets-sas?. l

Filed July 28, 1949 'ma @Md Dec. 8, 1953 A. R. MoRRlso'N ETAL 2,662,044

COATED FABRICS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28. 1949 Patented Dec. 8, 1953 COATED FABRICS A. Albert It. Morrison, Newark, and Richard F.

Shannon, Lancaster, Ohio, assignors to Owens- Corning Fiberglas Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a

f corporation of Delaware Application July 28, 1949, Serial No. 107,364

This invention relates to coated fabrics and to the production and the method for manufacturing these fabrics. More particularly, it relates to a coated fabric wherein a mass of glass bers in fabric form is treated in one or more combinations of steps, including impregnating and bonding, to provide a producthaving the integrated properties of glass fibers and resinous, resin-like, or rubber-like materials, preferably of a exible, resilient nature.

Coated fabrics reinforced with glass fibers are not new. Such combinations of materials have been used quite extensively as leathersubstitutes in the manufacture of seat covers, book bindings, wearing apparel, purses, and the like. The accepted practice makes use of a woven fabric of glass fibers as the textile base to which the resinous coating composition is applied. Woven fabrics were used because it was believed that only in a Woven fabric was there sufficient mass integrity to withstand the forces incident to normal handling and treating in the coating process; that only in a woven fabric could sufficient density be developed to permit proper coating in a few simple resinous applications; andvthat only in a woven fabric are the bers in such predetermined arrangement as will lend desirable'properties to the finished fabrics.

The high cost of weaving glass bers adds man terially to the cost of the base fabric, making it incre diiiicult to compete with fabrics of cotton, wool, and other natural fibers in the manufacture of coated fabrics. Another objection to the of woven fabrics of glass fibers as a reinforcement or base resides in the inability of woven Abers to move relative to one another to the extent that very little stretch is available; As a result, the fabric cannot be smoothly drawnabout corners or bends as is often desired in the manufacture of fitted covers for furnitureror the like. The coated fabric of woven glass fibers is considered to have poor fissure endurance, especially when compared to the product of this invention, beingv able to withstand only about five to ten thousand strokes of a standard flexure endurance test; whereas, the product of this invention has been able to withstand one-half milliony strokes, as hereinafter will be pointed out.

Favoring the use of glass fibers are their un-` usual strength, inertness, non-inainmability, dimensional stability, resiliency, fire resistance,- i'ot resistance, moisture resistance, heat, chemical, and electrical resistance. lt is desirable to make use cf glass fibers as a base and as a reinforce ment in coated fabrics, and it is most desirable to make use of glass fibers in the most economical 5 Claims. (01.,154-52) manner to the extent that glass fibers'may assume their rightful position in the coated fabric field. In order to compete with natural fibers from a cost standpoint, it is desirable to use, as the base fabric, glass fibers which have not been expensively combined in fabric form. It has been found that economical use may be made of glass fibers as a base fabric in the form of mats of haphazardly arranged glass bers. Glass fibers arranged in this form are considerably less expensive than woven structures, but their use is rendered more diicult by the fact that such mats generally have insufficient mass integrity to withstand the forces incident to normal handling operations and they are of such porous nature that a considerably greater amount of resinous material is required to coat the fabric to achieve the desired degree of imperviousness. In the same sense, more complicated procedures are required to deposit the resinous material and the like inthe desired larrangement and concentration without casing undesirableredistribution of the bersin the fabric-reinforcement. l 4 l -Y Y .lt is an object of vthisirwentionto provide a` coated fabric reinforced with glass fibers and a method for producing-the saine, the product of this invention being able to compete costwise with coated fabrics otherwise reinforced, andwhich is, from the standpoint of certain physical characteristics, a vast improvement over the coated fabrics otherwise reinforced,

Another object of this invention is to produce a new and improved coated fabric reinforced with glass bers which is low cost and more flexible and stretchable than coated fabrics reinforced with woven glass bers.

A further object is to produce a fabric of the type described wherein glass fibers in unwoven form comprise the matrix and reinforcement for resinous or resin-like materials that comprise the continuous phase of the yfabric which is suitable for many textile 4applications and as a leather substitute. f l 'i These and' other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation various embodiments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings in which: c

"'F'igure 1 illustrates a system for forming an endless web of continuous glass kliber larnents suitablefor resinous treatment in fabric formation;

Figure 2 is a top plan View showing the arrange-` ment of fibers in the fabric formed by the system -r Yof Figure. l;

Figure '7 is a sectional View through a" coated fabric embodying features ofthisV invention.

In carrying out our invention, the glass bers which form the matrix are: haphazazrdly ar ranged and when the coating materials are to be applied to the matrix, it is desirable that the glass bers be held in the desired arrangement with a binder of the type which is' either'compatb'le or strongly'a'dherent with a ,coating com-- position. When, on the other hand', the fibers are incorporated with or deposited' on thecoating material, interbonding is unnecessaryl as the coating substances are capablein themselves'of L serving as the bonding agent to anchor the fibers in the desired distribution orr else combination is effected soon after fiber deposition in a manner which will not disturb the desired' fiber arrangement.

It hasbeen found that a greater de'greeofre-- inforcement by unwoven fibers' is derived bythe use of glass bersV in the form cf bundles or ropes, and, therefore, such arrangements are speciically included in this invention. It has been further found that when in the iorm of bundles, theY interstices between the fibers are of such scope and frequency that it requires a high proportion of resinous materialv to fill the` inter-- sticesV in a manner desired in an acceptableiab.- i

Byl the use of separated glass berf la ments, such as cut, chopped, or' milled glass:

ric.

fibers, in combinationwith the-glass berfbundles more substantially to` close thev interstices,l considerable saving is made inthe' amount ot resinous material required and thetechnique.-offcoat.v`

ing is greatly simplified'.

In one-method, illustrated in Figures 1.v and2; a plurality of strands I0, each of which-is formed with over fifteen continuous.'gl'asslanients, are

runout of a plurality of guide eyes ll arranged in spaced relation over a movingco'llecting belt- I2. The strands Il! are run out at a linear speed much greater than that of the belt l2, and as the strands approach the belt, they naturally turn' in circular paths tov depositY as swirls i3. The swirls formed from strands by one guide eye may overlap or be overlapped by swirls formed from strands fedV rornthesame or adjacentguide eyes. In. their. deposited. relation, fibers. are more. or less haphazardly.- arrangedin a sheet-like layer with the filaments in sub.- stantial parallelism with the. facesof the, sheet. Many of the. strands. fed from.. a single. guide eye remain together to formropes.,

Massintegrity of the deposited fibers inabric form is secured by a binder toiorma mat which will hereinafter be referred to. asv swirl mat. The binder is oi the typeY which is strongly adherent to the glass ber surfaces and should be 'f compatible or highly attracted to the materials which are to comprise the continuous phase or coating. Illustrative as suitable binder compositions are the acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymers (Buna N) which may be applied in solvent illustrates still anothermodi'cation theV glass solvent media.

solution or in aqueous dispersion as a latex and in which the solid contents may range from l0 to 40 percent. Application may be simply effected by spraying the binder composition from a gun I4 as the fibers it! are collected on the mnving belt. Il If surcient` timeaandspace are available, the diluent may'l be removed by a simple air dry but, more often, it is expedient toldrive off the diluent by exposing the mat for 15. to. 3.0. minutes to an atmosphere heated to 200 F2 to 350 F. Sufficient mass integrity ordinarily isi securedv with' the deposition of about 8 percent binderV solids since the deposited resin ordinarily migrates to the junctures of the bers where it is'able more adequately to serve as the bindingagent; The amount of deposited binder may, however, vary within rather broad limits since suilicient mass integrity may be secured with as little as 2 percent binder, and as much as 15" percent binder'has often been used.

To` form the coated fabric, the coating or impregnatin'gresins, hereinafter referred toasV the'- continuous phase, even though it does notneeessariiy completely impregnate the fabric, may be applied by a roller coating process. When so applied, it is best to use any conventional organosoi, which consists ci extremely iinely divided particles of resin, such as a vinyl acetatevinyl chloride copolymer, suspended ina non- The media or diluent may be removed'by exposure of the coated fabric to a temperature in the range of 200 F. to 350 F. for several minutes, and, after it is removed, the sheet may be calendered between heated rolls to impart desired characteristics.

The representative product Secured by the scribed illustration based on a l0-l5 mil' naat has a thickness or about 2l mils and weighs about 24 ounces per square yard. It has strength of'abcut 100 pounds per square inch and a flexure endurance oi over one-haii ion strokes; Thisis to be compared to the nezrure endurance of: ve to ten thousand strokes secured with substantially same combinations or anaterials reinforced with a woven glass fiber fabric of' corresponding dimension. The increased fles;- ure endurance is directly attributed to the greater ireedom of relative movement between bers. and bundles of bers which allows more stretch in all directions. As a practical matter, the increased stretchabiiity enables broader use of the fabric in such applications as furniture covers and like Where it is desirable to draw a fabric over curves and corners to nt the cover to the curva-- ture of the furniture without unsightly creases.

mindthat the binding agent is used to iin,`

partmassiintegrity tothe matwithout interfering 5 materially-'with the freedom ci movement by the fibers. Representative or" other suitable binders are the polymeric resinous materials, suchY as polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride acrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl butyral', polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, polybutylene, and polyesters; and elastomers, such as butadiene-acrylonitrile which may be admixed with one half to twice its Weight With a compatible A or B stage phenolic resin, isoprene-isobutylene a breaking copolymer, butadiene-styrene copolymer,`chloromy ganic solvent solutions or dispersions, suitable' components of which may be selected from nu.- merous solvent charts. The solids content de pende more'or less on the amount Yof binding agent which it is desired to deposit and the method of deposition. For spraying, the solids content is usually maintained in the range of to 30 percent; for now coating, the solids contentv may be higher, such as in the range of Y5 to 50 percent. it isdesirable usually to hold the binder content in the bonded fabric to '2 to 15 percent by weight, with 5 to l0 percent concentrations being best for most purposes.V As previously pointed out, the diluent may be removed by an air dry or baking at elevated temperatures with or without the aid of vacuum conditions.- The time and temperature to eieot the desired removal vand insolubilisation of the bonding agent depends on the amount and type of diluent, but, usually, fifteen minutes at 250 F. to 300 F. are sufoient for water and solvents of like vapor characteristics, with lower temperatures or less time being required for lower boiling point solvents and vice versa for high boiling point solvents. l

As the. coating composition forv a mat bonded with a suitable binder, selection may be made of the flexible or plasticized members of high polymerio nlm forming materials including the polyacrylates and polyalkylacrylates, such as methyl methacrylate, ethylacrylates, and butylmethacrylates; cellulose esters, suchv as cellulose acetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose nitrate, and the like; cellulose ethers includingethyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose;v polyethylene, isobutylene, polyamides, flexible or elastomeric organo silicones (polysilicones), polyvinyl chloride (Geen) vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer (Vinylite) polyvinylidene chloride (Saran) vinylacetals. such as polyvinyl butyral; and elastomers, such as butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer, butadienestyrene copolymer, polychloroprene, isoprene-isobutylene copolymer, polysulphides, natural rub-` ber, chlorinated rubber, and rubber hydrochloride.

Coating or impregnation maybe made by the roller coating method previously described or by any other suitable method for depositing a relam tively heavy lrn of material onto thesuriaces of the fabric or for impregnating the fabric. For example, application may alsor be made by a knife coating process, a calendering process, or a dipping process. ln either` of these ffnethods rather high viscosity coating compositions may be used, such as the organosols described. Application may be made from solvent solutions .in which the amount of coating material is incorporated. Plastisols which are free of diluent and n which fluidity is derived from theuse of a plasticizer are advantageously used in coating processes. lf plastisols are'used drying to remove solvent and diluent prior to fusing at elevated temperature is not required. More often, however, a small amount of diluent is present and its removal may be eifected by the use of elevated temperatures usually in the range of about 59 F. to 190 above the boiling point of the diluent. lin actual practice, it appears thatthe coating composition has little tendency to soften or dis solve the binder holding the fibers' together inthe fabric.

The concept of this invention includes the usel of mats other than swirl mat wherein glass` iibers in Vhaphazard arrangement and even in completely separated form are bonded one to another by the use of a suitable adhesive present in amounts to impart self-sufficiency to the mat but enabling relative movement between the bers under stress.

In the event that it is difficult to deposit suf? cient coating composition in a single application, more than one treatment may be required. In this connection, we have found that animprovedlcoatedvfabric may be produced; that is, less coating material is required, making it poosible to achieve more substantial coverage in a single operation with less coating material when separated bers of reinforced length are clepositedwith the swirled strands ymore substantially to close and fill the interstices of the mat or web. The separated bers may be deposited in connection with the fabric forming process, as illustrated by the bers l5 in Figure 3. They may be incorporated in the composition with which the mat is coated or various'combinations of the described systems may be used. For example, when milled bers are deposited with the strands in the production of swirl mat, the suction ordinarily employed for holding the swirls onto the collecting belt apparently drawsthe milled fibers between the deposited coils substantially to ll the interstices and the resulting mat iseasily'coated in a single knife coating operation.

By vthe term bers of reinforced length, there are included iibers of 1/2 to 5 inches in length. Best results are secured when the interstitial filling fibers are 1A; to 1 inch in length. Suitable bers of the desired construction are secured by milling, cutting, or chopping laments, threads, or yarns under controlledcon-A ditions.

By the method shown in Figures 3 and d, glass bers 20 are laid down in the manner of forming a swirl mat 2l, with or Without the conjoint deposition of milled or out bers l5 onto a continuous resinous nlm 22. When a sufficient concentration of bers 20 has been deposited, another film 23 is draped over the deposited fibers and the assembled mass may be subjected to heat and pressure suflicient to integratefthe two films 22 and 23 with the `fibers sandwiched between to form a composite mass having the characteristics of acoated fabric. In the integrating step, pressures in the range of 50 to 30o pounds per square inch uniformly applied through platens 24 and 25 provided with heating and cooling means for l0 to 30 minutes with a temperature of 300 F. are sufficient when the film is polythene. It will beundcrstood the conditions of time, temperature, and pressurenecessary to integrate the films and fibers in the desired manner will vary according to the mentsfsoffow under heat, heat and pressure;` or just'. pressure alone.

InsteadY ofV depositing thev glassv fibers. onto a`A dry lmof high polymeric material, a very de sirable yfabric may be economically produced by depositingA glass bers, that is, continuous laments, short lengths, and combinations thereof, onto a wet nlm for subsequent integrationwith ork without a coveringlm. Conversion of the wet film to the desired impervious layer ofthe` substantially continuous phase may be effected by the normal process for setting or hardening the high polymeric component, as by solvent evaporation, advancement of thepolymeric ma-Y terial toV a higher degreeof polymeric growth, or by the use of heat and pressure, as in laminat-y ing or calenderingrprocesses. As a specific illustration, reference ismade to Figure 5` wherein ,a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer in high concentration (plastisol) .is rst deposited as a thin layer 30 between cellophane films 3l and 32. When parted, one face of each cellophane strip is coated with a thin Vlayer of thewet plastisol. Thereafter, separated glass bersiA rang ing from 1/2 to 2 inches in length or else continuous strands, or both are rained down from above to deposit in haphazard but in fairly uniform distribution on the resinous layer Sii of the cellophane strip 3l. After the desired amount of fibers have been deposited, the other strip 3.2 is brought over the top to sandwich the glass fibers therebetween in the manner of la laminate. The laminate is then cured for three minutesat 310 F. under a 3U pounds per square inch pressure. vAfter. separation ofthe cellophane films uponcooling, an integrated coated fabric reinforcedwith glass fibers is secured having, a` tensile strength of about Zlpounds per square inch, breaking, strengthpf about;87 pounds per squarev inch, and the-fabrichas excellent' stretch characteristics.

The described wet processmay be carried out withany of the highpolymericcoating,materials described which is readily separable-uponhard-.-V ening from. the selected backing material corre spending to theV cellophane strips 31| and 32. Instead of formingV a layer of `separated fibers on the wet coatingcomposition, mats of continuous strands ,or yarns arranged in parallel or in haphazard or swirled or looped patterns may be used. The mats may be used alone or in combination with loosely assembled or separated. fibers. These latter processes may be carried out on a batch principleor they may be arranged asa unit operation to form endless fabrics reinforced with glass fibers sinceV either the film or thecoated cellophane strips may be fed in endless lengths into a chamber depositing area and then led directly to the integrating or laminating ele* ment which may be` ofthe' compression rollern type, illustrated by numeral 3d.

For many applications, the'wet process -is to bef preferred over the dry process because the wet layer of polymeric material isable to anchor the deposited bers and prevent non-uniform rearrangements prior to the integration step. The wet substances are capable -of'greater'ow underl lessrigid conditions of time, temperature,` and' pressure, and, as a result, more complete integra-f tioncan be effected under conditions less harmful to the glass fibers. and at less expense.

By a still further modification, the glass fibers of reinforcing lengths or others of themilled variety may be homogeneously mixed with the high polymeric material; that is; to;y comprise: theV CII 8 continuous,A phase; The composition. is then sheeted, as by cooperatingrollersV and the like. In mostinstances, sheeting will involve heating and cooling stepsif the plastic material in undiluted form is worked orr it may involve setting by evaporation or reaction if a dilutedrcomposition or unrelated compositionis sheeted by depositing a film von a table of the desired shape.

The ratio of fibers to high polymeric material inthe iinal product depends -on the characteristics of the polymerand-the length and arrangement of the glass bers. The glass fiber concentration may be greatest when shorter lengths are used and the strength of the resulting fabric may be increased by theuseof longer fiber lengths and liber. bundles. Itwill beevident that combinations of the systems described may be used wherein a mat of glass fibers is impregnated or coated with a, high polymeric substance in which separated glassbers or milled glass fibers are incorporated.

It will be` understood that the procedures described are .given by way of illustration and not by way of. limitation and that various combinations of the desired methods and materials may be secured without departing from the spirit of the invention, the .product `of which is a new and improved fabric ofthe type preferably having a stretchable resinous material 4D as the continuous phase. reinforced with glass Afibers il in haphazard arrangement and shiftable relative to each other. Because of the novel manner in which the fibers are incorporated, the fabric is less. expensive and it is better able tocompete with coated fabrics reinforced withwoven glass fibers and other. types of fabrics based upon natural fibers. Because ofthe permissible relative movement between fibers and the iiexibility of the coatingv material, a high degree of stretch is secured whichfenhancesthe usefulness of the fabric in many oldand in. innumerable new applications. The tensileand tear strengths of the fabric arevery highbecause large` numbersof fibers are able toshiftjrelative, toeach other in the fabric to distrbutethestrength among themselves in oppositiontoV forces tending to break the fabric. Because of thearrangement whereby milled, cut or chopped fabrics are arranged as elements to close the interstices between fibers, considerable saving in material is secured and the technique Y sistance, weather resistance, electrical resistance,

wear resistance, dimensionalstability, and rela tive inertness of glass fibers.

It will be understood that when stretchability and flexibility are not factors, compositions based on harderresin modifications and even resinous materialsof 'the thermosetting type may bel used as a coating composition and that numerous other changes inthe sequence of operations and conditions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as dened in thev following claims.

We claim:

1. An article-of manufacture comprising a thin web of'glass fibers `in which the fibers are present l in the formof endless lengths arranged in swirl patterns in overlapping relation, a thermoplastic resinous material binding the'fibers one to an other into a thin, non-woventextile and providing' a receptive base for anchorage. of a thermoplastic coating material onto the glass fiber surf faces, and a thermoplastic high polymerforming a continuous coating on the surfaces of the thin non-Woven textile to produce a coated fabric having high flexibility, the thermoplastic binder being selected from the group consisting of butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride Aacrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, polybutylene, polesters, polysiloxanes, isoprene isobutylene copolymer, butadiene-styrene copolymer, chloroprene, and a latex, and in which the high polymer for the surface coating is selected from the group consisting of vinyl polymers, vinyl derivative polymers and vinyl copolymers, polyethylene, polyamides, polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, butadiene-acrylonitrile copolmer, butadiene-styrene copolymer, chloroprene, isoprene isobutylene copolymer, chlorinated rubber, rubber hydrochloride and a rubber latex.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a thin web of glass fibers in which the fibers are present in'bundles of endless lengths arranged in swirl patterns in overlapping relation, av thermoplastic resinous material binding the bers one to another into a thin, non-woven textile and providing a receptive base for anchorage of a thermoplastic coating material onto the glass ber surfaces, and a thermoplastic high polymer forming a continuous coating on the surfaces of the thin nonwoven textile to produce a coated fabric having high ilexibility, the thermoplastic binder being selected from the group consisting of butadieneacrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride acrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, polybutylene, polyesters, polysiloxanes, isoprene-isobutylene copolymer, butadienestyrene copolymer, chloroprene, and a latex, and in which the high polymer for the surface coating is selected from the group consisting of vinyl polymers, vinyl derivativev polymers and vinyl copolymers, polyethylene, polyamides, polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer, butadienestyrene copolymer, chloroprene, isoprene-isobutylene copolymer, chlorinated rubber, rubber hydrochloride and a rubber latex.

3. An article of manufacture comprising a thin web of glass bers in which continuous lengths of bers are arranged in a swirl pattern in overlapping relation and other glass bers cut to short lengths are disposed within the interstices between the swirls of continuous fibers, a thermoplastic resinous material binding the fibers one to another into a thin, non-woven textile and providing a receptive base for anchorage of a thermoplastic coating material onto the glass fiber surfaces, and a thermoplastic high polymer forming a continuous coating on the surfaces of the thin non-woven textile to produce a coated fabric having high iiexibility, the thermoplastic binder being selected from the group consisting of butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride acrylonitrile copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, polybutylene, polyesters, polysiloxanes, isoprene-isobutylene copolymer, butadiene-styrene copolymer, chloroprene, and a latex, and in which the high polymer for the surface coating is selected from the group consisting of vinyl polymers, vinyl derivative polymers and vinyl copolymers, polyethylene, polyamides, polyacrylates, polyalkylacrylates, butadiene-acrilonitrile copolymer, butadiene-styrene copolymer, chloroprene, isoprene-isobutylene copolymer, chlorinated rubber, rubber hydrochloride and a rubber latex.

4. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1 in which glass fibers cut to short lengths are uniformly distributed in the high polymeric surface coating on the non-woven textile.

5. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1 in which a coloring component is incorporated into the high polymeric material surface coating the non-woven textile to impart color of the desired character to the flexible coated fabric.

ALBERT R. MORRISON. RICHARD F. SHANNON.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,132,702 Simpson Oct. 11, 1938 2,477,555 Roberts et al July 26 1949 2,502,514 Ewer Apr. 4, 1950 2,528,091 Slayter 1 Oct. 31, 1950 2,574,849 Talalay Nov. 13, 1951 2,577,205 Meyer et al Dec. 4, 1951 2,577,214 Slayter Dec. 4, 1951

Claims (1)

1. AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING A THIN WEB OF GLASS FIBES IN WHICH THE FIBERS ARE PRESENT IN THE FORM OF ENDLESS LENGTHS ARRANGED IN SWIRL PATTERNS IN OVERLAPPING ELATION, A THERMOPLASTIC RESINOUS MATERIAL BINDING THE FIBERS ONE TO ANOTHER INTO A THIN, NON-WOVEN TEXTILE AND PROVIDING A RECEPTIVE BASE FOR ANCHORAGE OF A THERMOPLASTIC COATING MATERIAL ONTO THE GLAS FIBER SURFACES, AND A THERMOPLASTIC HIGH OLYER FORMING A CONTINUOUS COATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE THIN NON-WOVEN TEXTILE TO PRODUCE A COATED FABRIC HAVING HIGH FLEXIBILITY, THE THERMOPLASTIC BINDER BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP COSINSNG OF BUTADIENE-ACRYLONIRILE COPOLYMER, POLLYMER, POLY RIDE, VINYL CHLORIDE-VINYL ACETATE COPOLYMER, POLYVINYL ACETATE, VINYL ACETATE-VINYL CHLORIDE ACRYLONITRILE COPOLYMER, POLYVINYL BUTYRAL, POLYACRYLATES, POLYALKYLACRYLATES, POLYBTYLENE, POLESTERS, POLYSILOXANES, ISOPRENE - ISOBUTYLENE, POLESTERS, BUTADIENE-STYRENE COPOLYMER, CHLOROPRENE AND A LATEX, AND IN WHICH THE HIGH POLYMER FOR THE SURFACE COATING IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VINYL POLYMERS, VINYL DERIVATIVE POLYMERS AND VINYL COPOLYMERS POLYETHYLENE, POLYAMIDES, POLYACRYLATES, POLYALKYLACRYLATES, BUTADIENE-ACRYLONITRILE COPOLYMER, BUTADIENE-STYRENE COPOLYMER, CHLOROPRENE, ISOPRENE - ISOBUTYLENE COPOLYMER, CHLORINATED RUBBER, RUBBER HYDROCHLORIDE AND A RUBBER LATEX.

Images