Glass fibre sizing: A review

Glass fibre reinforcements form the backbone of a composites industry with a global annual production of more than 10 million tons of high performance, light-weight materials. Possibly the most critical component involved in the manufacture of glass fibres and their composites is the fibre sizing. Yet because of the intense level of secrecy surrounding size formulations there are very few people in the vast supply chain of composite materials suppliers, processors and end users who have more than a superficial understanding of glass fibre sizings. Given the importance of sizings to the continuing success and growth of the composites industry this paper reviews some of the most relevant articles from the widely dispersed literature available around glass fibre sizings. The review covers size formulation, sizing effects in fibre and composite processing, sizing and fibre performance, sizing and interphase adhesion, and sizing effects on composite performance. The conclusions highlight the fragmented nature of the knowledge base on sizings and the lack of reliable and reproducible reference materials on which to build real progress in this critical technology.