Method for treating reinforcing fibre and method for producing a reinforced composite article from the treated fibre

A reinforced composite material, comprising:

• i) a plurality of hydrophilic surface-modified reinforcing glass fibers, wherein the hydrophilic surface-modified reinforcing glass fiber comprises a reinforcing glass fiber modified with a hydrophilic surface coating comprising:
• a) a first coating of a vinyl functional silane coupling agent;
• and
• b) a second coating of the product of a vinyl functional silane coupling agent reacted with a polyol;
• ii) at least one cured polyester resin;
• and
• iii) at least one interphase defined by the at least one cured polyester resin adjacent to the at least one hydrophilic surface-modified reinforcing glass fiber of the plurality of hydrophilic surface-modified reinforcing glass fibers;
• wherein the at least one interphase has one or more properties substantially equivalent to those of the bulk at least one cured polyester resin, selected from the group consisting of:
• strength, flexural toughness, brittleness, density, cross-link density, chemical resistance, molecular weight, and degree of crystallinity.