Production of phenolic foams

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FOAMED, THERMOSET PHENOLIC MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES MIXING THE FOLLOWING REACTANTS IN THE INDICATED PROPORTIONS: A DISPERSION OF A THEREMOSETTABLE PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE PARTIAL CONDENSATION PRODUCT HAVING A MOL RATIO OF FORMALDEHYDE TO PHENOL OF FROM 1.8 TO 2.2 AND FROM 0.1 PERCENT TO 10 PERCENT OF FREE FORMALDEHYDE, BASED UPON TOTAL RESIN SOLIDS, SAID PARTIAL CONDENSATION PRODUCT BEING MISCIBLE WITH WATER TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST 30 PERCENT, AND HAVING A VISCOSITY, IN A 70 PERCENT SOLIDS WATER DISPERSION, OF AT LEAST 500 CENTIPOISES AT 40*C., THE RESIN SOLIDS CONSTITUTING FROM 40 PERCENT TO 60 PERCENT OF THE COMPOSITION, A PLURALITY OF BLOWING AGENTS EFFECTIVE TO FORM A COMPRESSIBLE FLUID THROUGHOUT AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE RANGES BETWEEN 50*C. AND 105*C., AND INCLUDING FROM 1 PERCENT TO 10 PERCENT OF A DIAZO BLOWING AGENT, FROM 1 PERCENT TO 10 PERCENT OF A LOWER ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL HAVING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, AND FROM 5 PERCENT TO 35 PERCENT OF WATER BASED UPON THE TOTAL OF WATER AND SOLIDS IN THE FOAMABLE COMPOSITION, FROM 1 PERCENT TO 7 PERCENT OF A SURFACEACTIVE AGENT EFFECTIVE TO LOWER THE SURFACE TENSION OF THE COMPOSITION, SAID AGENT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SORBITAN MONOPALMITATE, POLYOXYLATED VEGETABLE OILS, POLYOXYETHYLENE SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS, POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ESTERS OF OLEIC ACID, NONYL-PHENOL ETHYLENE OXIDES, ISOOCTYL PHENOXY POLYOXYETHYLENE ETHANOLS AND ALKYLPHENYL POLYGLYCOL ETHERS, FROM 2 PERCENT TO 7 PERCENT OF AN ACID HAVING A DISSOCIATION CONSTANT OF AT LEAST 10-**3 AS A CONDENSING AGENT FOR THE PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT, AND FROM 2 PERCENT TO 7 PERCENT OF UREA, WHEREBY A FOAMABLE COMPOSITION IS EFFECTED AND SPONTANEOUS FOAMING AND CURING THEREOF PROCEED.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING A FOAMED, THERMOSET PHENOLIC MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES MIXING THE FOLLOWING REACTANTS IN THE INDICATED PROPORTIONS: A DISPERSION OF A THEREMOSETTABLE PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE PARTIAL CONDENSATION PRODUCT HAVING A MOL RATIO OF FORMALDEHYDE TO PHENOL OF FROM 1.8 TO 2.2 AND FROM 0.1 PERCENT TO 10 PERCENT OF FREE FORMALDEHYDE, BASED UPON TOTAL RESIN SOLIDS, SAID PARTIAL CONDENSATION PRODUCT BEING MISCIBLE WITH WATER TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST 30 PERCENT, AND HAVING A VISCOSITY, IN A 70 PERCENT SOLIDS WATER DISPERSION, OF AT LEAST 500 CENTIPOISES AT 40*C., THE RESIN SOLIDS CONSTITUTING FROM 40 PERCENT TO 60 PERCENT OF THE COMPOSITION, A PLURALITY OF BLOWING AGENTS EFFECTIVE TO FORM A COMPRESSIBLE FLUID THROUGHOUT AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT TEMPERATURE RANGES BETWEEN 50*C. AND 105*C., AND INCLUDING FROM 1 PERCENT TO 10 PERCENT OF A DIAZO BLOWING AGENT, FROM 1 PERCENT TO 10 PERCENT OF A LOWER ALIPHATIC ALCOHOL HAVING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, AND FROM 5 PERCENT TO 35 PERCENT OF WATER BASED UPON THE TOTAL OF WATER AND SOLIDS IN THE FOAMABLE COMPOSITION, FROM 1 PERCENT TO 7 PERCENT OF A SURFACEACTIVE AGENT EFFECTIVE TO LOWER THE SURFACE TENSION OF THE COMPOSITION, SAID AGENT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SORBITAN MONOPALMITATE, POLYOXYLATED VEGETABLE OILS, POLYOXYETHYLENE SORBITAN ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS, POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ESTERS OF OLEIC ACID, NONYL-PHENOL ETHYLENE OXIDES, ISOOCTYL PHENOXY POLYOXYETHYLENE ETHANOLS AND ALKYLPHENYL POLYGLYCOL ETHERS, FROM 2 PERCENT TO 7 PERCENT OF AN ACID HAVING A DISSOCIATION CONSTANT OF AT LEAST 10-**3 AS A CONDENSING AGENT FOR THE PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT, AND FROM 2 PERCENT TO 7 PERCENT OF UREA, WHEREBY A FOAMABLE COMPOSITION IS EFFECTED AND SPONTANEOUS FOAMING AND CURING THEREOF PROCEED.