Abstract: An underlayment for supplementing one or more mechanical properties of conventional wall, ceiling, or floor board is used to in a wall, ceiling, or floor assembly that may be fabricated on site. The assembly includes a first and second wall, ceiling, or floor boards which each have mechanical properties, and the underlayment which has at least one supplemental mechanical property for supplementing the physical properties of the first and second boards. The second board is secured to the first board with the underlayment sandwiched between the second and first boards to form a wall, ceiling, or floor assembly with the supplemental physical property or properties of the underlayment. The supplemental physical property or properties of the underlayment may include, but are not limited to, sound transmission reduction.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A gypsum board having roughened surface glass fiber reinforcement. The roughened surface of glass fiber is created by incorporating nano or micro particles of colloidal silica or clay or other inorganic particles in a silane based sizing composition. The sizing coating is partially or completely cured and incorporated in gypsum wet mix either as additions of chopped fibers or as placement of roughened surface glass fiber mats at selected locations within a cast gypsum sheet. The roughened surface of glass fiber with nano or micro particles compliantly bonded with silane polymer transfers load from gypsum to glass fibers providing improved strength and flexure resistance of gypsum boards.