| abstract |
A strand of coated fibers, suitable for making ancomposite article. Each strand comprises a plurality of fibersncoated with an aqueous- or non-aqueous-based chemical treatmentncontaining a curable thermoset resin. If desired, the appliednchemical treatment can be heated with a heating device withoutneffecting full curing of the thermoset resin. The strand ofnfibers may then be subsequently formed into a composite articlenin an off-line forming operation, for example, by filamentnwinding, molding, pultrusion, weaving, knitting, or extrusionncoating. The strand of fibers may also be shaped into anpreform which can be used in resin transfer molding (RTM) andninjection molding processes. |