Method of forming bodies of friction material

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF FORMING BODIES OF FRICTION MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PREPARING A DRY MIXTURE OF PARTICLES CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF, BY WEIGHT, UP TO 70 PERCENT ASBESTOS FIBER, UP TO ABOUT 15 PERCENT SHREDDED SOFT RUBBER, UP TO ABOUT 25 PERCENT PULVERULENT CASHEW NUT SHELL DERIVATIVE, UP TO ABOUT 70 PERCENT OF FILLERS INCLUDING FRICTION MODIFYING AGENTS, FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 22 PERCENT POWDERED THERMOSETTING ALDEHYDE CONDENSED ORGANIC BINDER CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SUBSTANTIALLY WATER INSOLUBLE ORGANIC POLYER AND A CURING AGENT TO CONVERT SAID ROGANIC POLYMER TO THE THERMOSET CONDITION, COATING SUBSTANTIALLY EACH WATER INSOLUBLE PARTICLE OF SAID MIXTURE WITH A LIQUID SURFACE FILM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AN ADHESIVE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL SALTS OF ACRYLIC ACID POLYMERIC MATERIALS, POLYACRYLIC ACID AMIDE, STARCHES, GLUES, DEXTRIN, CARBOXYLATED CELLULOSE, SHELLACS, SALTS OF POLYLIGNIN SULFONATES AND MIXTURES THEREOF WITH THE BALANCE OF SAID FILM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF WATER, WHICH FILM IS STICKY WHEREBY SAID PARTICLES TEND TO ADHERE TO EACH OTHER, MIXING SAID MIXTURE OF COATED PARTICLES TO FORM A LOW DENSITY MASS HAVING A UNIFORM FIBROUS CONSISTENCY, FORMING SAID LOW DENSITY MASS INTO AN ELONGATED, COHERENT, PARTIALLY DENSIFIED, SUBSTANTIALLY STABLE BODY HAVING A PREDETERMINED CROSS SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION AND DIMENSION BY PASSING SAID MASS THROUGH AN APERTURE HAVING A CONFIGURATION AND DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY INDENTICAL TO THAT OF THE CROSS SECTION OF SAID FORMED BODY WHILE APPLYING PRESSURE TO SAID MASS, SAID ELONGATED, COHERENT, PARTIALLY DENSIFIED BODY SO-PRODUCED HAVING SUFFICIENT MECHANICAL STRENGTH TO PERMIT IT TO BE HANDLED UNSUPPORTED AND SUFFICIENT FLEXIBILITY THAT IT MAY BE BENT ABOUT A RADIUS WITHOUT BREAKING OR CRACKING, REMOVING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE WATER FROM SAID AQUEOUS SURFACE FILM WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING THE ADHESIVE PROPERTIES OF THE RESIDUAL SOLID ADHESIVE MATERIAL AND CURING SAID BINDER BY HEAT AND PRESSURE TREATMENT TO EFFECT SUBSTANTIALLY FULL DENSIFICATION OF SAID BODY, THE SOLID RESIDUE OF SAID ADHESIVE MATERIAL IN SAD CURED BODY REMAINING IN THE SLID STATE DURING NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS TO WHICH SAID BODY MAY BE SUBJECTED IN SERVICE AS A FRICTION MATERIAL.