Method of producing porous aggregate mixes

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR MIXING THERMOPLASTIC BINDING MATERIALS WITH LIGHT-WEIGHT, POROUS, INORGANIC AGGREGATE TO BIND TOGETHER THE DISCRETE PARTICLES OF SAID AGGREGATE WHILE MAINTAINING THE OPEN PORES THEREOF EFFECTIVE TO IMPART INSULATING PROPERTIES TO THE FINISHED PRODUCT COMPRISING: PROVIDING A MASS OF SAID AGGREGATE AND A SEPARATE MASS OF HOT, MOLTEN, WATER-INSOLUBLE, ORGANIC, THERMOPLASTIC BINDER CAPABLE OF SETTING, ON COOLING, TO A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID STATE TO ADHERE TO THE SURFACES OF THE DISCRETE PARTICLES OF AGGREGATE AND BIND THEM TOGETHER; ADDING TO SAID AGGREGATE A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER; MIXING SAID AGGREGATE TO WHICH SAID WATER HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY ADDED WITH SAID MOLTEN BINDER WHILE THE LATTER IS AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO CONVERT THE ADDED WATER TO STEAM AND PRODUCE A FROTHING OF THE BINDER; SAID BINDER BEING IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY THAT WHEN MIXED WITH THE AGGREGATE IT COATS THE PARTICLES OF AGGREGATE AND BINDS THEM TOGETHER; THE AMOUNT OF WATER ADDED TO SAID POROUS AGGREGATE BEING NOT LESS THAN 0.1% BY WEIGHT OF THE AGGREGATE AND BEING SUFFICIENT TO RAPIDLY COOL THE BINDER TO A TEMPERATURE SUCH THAT THE BINDER HAS A NONPENETRATING VISCOSITY, SAID COOLING BEING EFFECTED BY CONVERSION OF THE WATER TO STEAM BY THE HEAT OF THE BINDER.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR MIXING THERMOPLASTIC BINDING MATERIALS WITH LIGHT-WEIGHT, POROUS, INORGANIC AGGREGATE TO BIND TOGETHER THE DISCRETE PARTICLES OF SAID AGGREGATE WHILE MAINTAINING THE OPEN PORES THEREOF EFFECTIVE TO IMPART INSULATING PROPERTIES TO THE FINISHED PRODUCT COMPRISING: PROVIDING A MASS OF SAID AGGREGATE AND A SEPARATE MASS OF HOT, MOLTEN, WATER-INSOLUBLE, ORGANIC, THERMOPLASTIC BINDER CAPABLE OF SETTING, ON COOLING, TO A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID STATE TO ADHERE TO THE SURFACES OF THE DISCRETE PARTICLES OF AGGREGATE AND BIND THEM TOGETHER; ADDING TO SAID AGGREGATE A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER; MIXING SAID AGGREGATE TO WHICH SAID WATER HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY ADDED WITH SAID MOLTEN BINDER WHILE THE LATTER IS AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO CONVERT THE ADDED WATER TO STEAM AND PRODUCE A FROTHING OF THE BINDER; SAID BINDER BEING IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY THAT WHEN MIXED WITH THE AGGREGATE IT COATS THE PARTICLES OF AGGREGATE AND BINDS THEM TOGETHER; THE AMOUNT OF WATER ADDED TO SAID POROUS AGGREGATE BEING NOT LESS THAN 0.1% BY WEIGHT OF THE AGGREGATE AND BEING SUFFICIENT TO RAPIDLY COOL THE BINDER TO A TEMPERATURE SUCH THAT THE BINDER HAS A NONPENETRATING VISCOSITY, SAID COOLING BEING EFFECTED BY CONVERSION OF THE WATER TO STEAM BY THE HEAT OF THE BINDER.