Production of thermosetting phenol-aldehyde resin condensation products

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF BONDING A PLURALITY OF UNITS OF BASE MATERIAL AT A HOT-PRESS TEMPERATURE COMPRISING APPLYING TO SAID UNITS THE HIGHLY CONDENSED THERMOSETTING PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN-REACTION PRODUCT FORMED BY HEAT-REACTING AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF A MONOHYDRIC PHENOL HAVING A DISTILLATION RANGE BETWEEN 175* AND 225* F., AN ALDEHYDE IN WHICH THE ALDEHYDE RADICAL IS THE SOLE REACTIVE RADICAL, AND AN ALKALINE CATALYST IN AN AMOUNT ACCELERATING THE FORMATION OF THE INITIAL REACTION PRODUCT ON HEATING, THE MOLAR RATIO OF THE ALDEHYDE TO THE PHENOL VARYING FROM 1:1 TO 1.5: 1, SAID RESIN REACTION PRODUCT BEING WELL ADVANCED TOWARD ITS FINAL INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STAGE BY THE REPEATED ADDITION THERETO OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE WITH A CONDENSATION STEP BETWEEN EACH ADDITION OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE UNTIL THE RESIN REACTION PRODUCT BECOMES INSOLUBLE IN THE AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION, THE FINAL CONDENSATION PRODUCT AFTER REPEATED ADDITIONS OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND REPEATED CONDENSATION STEPS BEING ETHANOL-SOLUBLE AND WATER-SOLUBLE, AND HOT-PRESSING THE ASSEMBLY CONTAINING SAID THERMOSETTING BONDING AND ADHERING MATERIAL UNTIL THE LATTER IS CONVERTED TO ITS INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STATE AND FOR A TIME PERIOD WHICH IS BETWEEN 10% AND 15% LESS THAN IT TAKES TO HOTPRESS A SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL COMPOSITE UNIT STRUCTURE UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL OPERATING CONDITIONS, SAID LATTER COMPOSITE STRUCTURE HAVING AS ITS BINDING MEDIUM A PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN PRODUCED OTHERWISE THAN BY REPEATED ADDITIONS TO A PHENOL-ALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT OF AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND A CONDENSATION STEP BETWEEN EACH ADDITION OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF BONDING A PLURALITY OF UNITS OF BASE MATERIAL AT A HOT-PRESS TEMPERATURE COMPRISING APPLYING TO SAID UNITS THE HIGHLY CONDENSED THERMOSETTING PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN-REACTION PRODUCT FORMED BY HEAT-REACTING AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE OF A MONOHYDRIC PHENOL HAVING A DISTILLATION RANGE BETWEEN 175* AND 225* F., AN ALDEHYDE IN WHICH THE ALDEHYDE RADICAL IS THE SOLE REACTIVE RADICAL, AND AN ALKALINE CATALYST IN AN AMOUNT ACCELERATING THE FORMATION OF THE INITIAL REACTION PRODUCT ON HEATING, THE MOLAR RATIO OF THE ALDEHYDE TO THE PHENOL VARYING FROM 1:1 TO 1.5: 1, SAID RESIN REACTION PRODUCT BEING WELL ADVANCED TOWARD ITS FINAL INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STAGE BY THE REPEATED ADDITION THERETO OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE WITH A CONDENSATION STEP BETWEEN EACH ADDITION OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE UNTIL THE RESIN REACTION PRODUCT BECOMES INSOLUBLE IN THE AQUEOUS ALKALINE SOLUTION, THE FINAL CONDENSATION PRODUCT AFTER REPEATED ADDITIONS OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND REPEATED CONDENSATION STEPS BEING ETHANOL-SOLUBLE AND WATER-SOLUBLE, AND HOT-PRESSING THE ASSEMBLY CONTAINING SAID THERMOSETTING BONDING AND ADHERING MATERIAL UNTIL THE LATTER IS CONVERTED TO ITS INSOLUBLE INFUSIBLE STATE AND FOR A TIME PERIOD WHICH IS BETWEEN 10% AND 15% LESS THAN IT TAKES TO HOTPRESS A SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL COMPOSITE UNIT STRUCTURE UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL OPERATING CONDITIONS, SAID LATTER COMPOSITE STRUCTURE HAVING AS ITS BINDING MEDIUM A PHENOL-ALDEHYDE RESIN PRODUCED OTHERWISE THAN BY REPEATED ADDITIONS TO A PHENOL-ALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT OF AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND A CONDENSATION STEP BETWEEN EACH ADDITION OF ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE.