A gypsum board having glass fiber reinforcement. The glass fiber has
sizing promoting bonding with a gypsum matrix. The glass fibers are added
to the gypsum matrix cia a non-woven glass fiber mat bonded initially
with a dissolvable or reversible binder to maintain the three dimensional
architecture of the non-woven glass fiber mat during handling and
insertion into a cast wet gypsum slurry forming a gypsum board. Upon
insertion in the wet gypsum slurry, the dissolvable bond between the
glass fibers in the non-woven glass fiber mat dissolves and allows the
sizing coating on the glass fibers to make intimate contact with the
gypsum matrix. In case of the reversible bond, the bond adhesive
hydrolyzes during the gypsum board drying cycle providing intimate
contact between the sizing coated glass fibers and the gypsum matrix. The
non-woven glass fiber mats bonded to the gypsum matrix provides improved
strength and flexure resistance of the gypsum board.