Production of glass fiber products

Claim 1

A method of preparing a bonded glass fiber product comprising the steps of: a. forming glass fibers from molten streams of glass; b. combining the glass fibers with a heat curable aqueous binder composition comprising 1. 60-95 percent by weight of a complex polymeric component formed from a reaction mixture consisting of phenol, formaldehyde, a modifier selected from the group consisting of starch and compounds which are degradation products of starch, and urea, wherein said polymeric component is produced by: a. charging a reactor with a mixture of formaldehyde and phenol in a mole ratio of formaldehyde/phenol of from 2.9-4.2/1; b. reacting the mixture in the presence of a condensing agent until it has a free formaldehyde content of from 7-15 percent of the total weight of formaldehyde, phenol and water; c. adding to the reactor the starch or starch decomposition product in an amount ranging from 5 to 50 percent of the phenol charged; and d. cooling the reactor contents; 2. 10-80 percent of urea, based upon the weight of the phenol originally charged to produce the polymeric component, with the proviso that at least 5 percent of urea, based upon the weight of the phenol originally charged to produce the polymeric component is dissolved in the polymeric component for at least fifteen minutes at a temperature of at least 90°F. 3. 0.5-25 percent of a lubricant based upon the total weight of the complex polymeric component and any unreacted urea,

Claim 2

A method of preparing a bonded glass fiber product comprising the steps of: a. forming glass fibers from molten streams of glass; b. combining the glass fibers with a heat curable aqueous binder composition comprising 1. 60-95 percent by weight of a complex polymeric component formed from a reaction mixture consisting of phenol, formaldehyde, a modifier selected from the group consisting of starch and compounds which are degradation products of starch, and urea, wherein said polymeric component is produced by: a. charging a reactor with a mixture of formaldehyde and phenol in a mole ratio of formaldehyde/phenol of from 2.9-4.2/1; b. reacting the mixture in the presence of a condensing agent until it has a free formaldehyde content of from 7-15 percent of the total weight of formaldehyde, phenol and water; c. adding to the reactor the starch or starch decomposition product in an amount ranging from 5 to 50 percent of the phenol charged; and d. cooling the reactor contents; 2. 10-80 percent of urea, based upon the weight of the phenol originally charged to produce the polymeric component, with the proviso that at least 5 percent of urea, based upon the weight of the phenol originally charged to produce the polymeric component is dissolved in the polymeric component for at least fifteen minutes at a temperature of at least 90°F. 3. 0.5-25 percent of a lubricant based upon the total weight of the complex polymeric component and any unreacted urea,