Application conditions for ester cured alkaline phenolic resin sand

Abstract

Five organic esters with different curing speeds: propylene carbonate (i.e. high-speed ester A); 1, 4-butyrolactone; glycerol triacetate (i.e. medium-speed ester B); glycerol diacetate; dibasic ester (DBE) (i.e. low-speed ester C), were chosen to react with alkaline phenolic resin to analyze the application conditions of ester cured alkaline phenolic resin. The relationships between the curing performances of the resin (including pH value, gel pH value, gel time of resin solution, heat release rate of the curing reaction and tensile strength of the resin sand) and the amount of added organic ester and curing temperature were investigated. The results indicated the following: (1) The optimal added amount of organic ester should be 25wt.%-30wt.% of alkaline phenolic resin and it must be above 20wt.%-50 wt.% of the organic ester hydrolysis amount. (2) High-speed ester A (propylene carbonate) has a higher curing speed than 1, 4-butyrolactone, and they were both used as high-speed esters. Glycerol diacetate is not a high-speed ester in alkaline phenolic resin although it was used as a high-speed ester in ester cured sodium silicate sand; glycerol diacetate and glycerol triacetate can be used as medium-speed esters in alkaline phenolic resin. (3) High-speed ester A, medium-speed ester B (glycerol triacetate) and low-speed ester C (dibasic ester, i.e., DBE) should be used below 15 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C, respectively. High-speed ester A or low-speed ester C should not be used alone but mixed with medium-speed ester B to improve the strength of the resin sand. (4) There should be a suitable solid content (generally 45wt.%-65wt.% of resin), alkali content (generally 10wt.%-15wt.% of resin) and viscosity of alkaline phenolic resin (generally 50-300 mPa?s) in the preparation of alkaline phenolic resin. Finally, the technique conditions of alkaline phenolic resin preparation and the application principles of organic ester were discussed.