USRE5621E - Improvement in methods of exploding nitro-glvcerine - Google Patents

Description

A; NOBEL.

l m proveme nt in Method of Exploding, Nitro-Glyce'ri'ne.

Rissued Oct. 21, \873.

Wmassz s.

, HNVFNTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED xonnnor uxi-i'iufuo, cunnxxr, ASSIGXOR, BY aunsxu ASSIGN- MENTS, ro 'rnn vrmx'r'u" 'mxx'r-rownm: COMPANY, or six FRAN- CISCO. l" Allll-OllNlA.

IMPROVEMENT IN METHODS OF EXPLODING NlTRO-GLVCERINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,617, dated October 2d, 1865; reissue No. 3,377, dated April 13, 1869; reissue No. 4,815, dated March 19, 1872; reissue No. 5,62 I, dated October 21, 1873;

application filed October 1-1, 1872.

i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ALFRED Noni-1L, of' the city of Hamburg, in the Empire of (lei-many, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Eflectin g the l'lxplosion. of Xitro- G lycerine, and in the utilization thereof as an explosive, of which the following is a specification:

This spcciflcatioubus reference to certain modes of utilizing nitro-glycci-imas an explosive.

Prior to the date of x('ll'il-ll,' invention nitroglycerine was known as an explosive substance, but had not. been applied to technical purposes, in consequence of practical diflicultios in procun'ng its explosion.

This substance is a liquid at ordinary tcinperatures,and by that characteristic is distinguishable from solid explosives, such asgunpowder, gun-cotton, &e. ]t is further characterized by the property that fire maybe applied to it withoutcl'l'ectin g explosion.

It ignited in an open space, it is slowly dccomposed and takes fire, but the flame is apt to die out when the match is witlulrawn; hence it cannot, under ordinary circumstances, be looked upon. as a ready explosive agent, for, while gun powder and other substances used as explosives prior to Nomarjs invention always explode or dcfla grate through the wholemass when fire is set to them, 1Iitro-glyccrinc will not explode from the mere contact of flame, and that, while the tiringot' a cap explodes gunpowder, it does so by means of thc flame produced, while in the caseof nitro-glycerinc it is the detonation and notthe flame which pro duces the explosion. So, also, if a drop of nitro-glycerinebc poured on an anvil, the. blow of a hammer causes it to explode; but only that part; is involved which has received the blow. So, also, in this case the explosion .is merely a. local one.

Aprincipal object of Xonucs invention consists in the removal of this obstacle-to the use of nitroglyccrin'e as an explosive. For this end two different methods were invented by XOBEL for promoting .the explosion of nitroglycerin. One method, which forms the sub- 'concussivc agitation, the means employed being in such relation to the mass of nitro-glycerfl inc to be exploded as that the latter shall be within the influence of such initial explosion or impulse of explosion. Pressuredeveloped by heat to the point of the explosion of the charge is made use of in one instance, and in the other the detonation of u some violently-exploding substance in 'u-esence oft-he charge of nitro-glycerine.

Nitro-glycerinc, being liquid, if in such con dition that it cannot escape from the influence of the initial explosion, (as, for instance, when placed in a bore-hole for blasting or otherwise conflned,) receives and propagates the initial pressure through its whole mass, and the first impulse of explosion is communicated throughout the whole charge, effecting its instantaneous decomposition and explosion. By the term impulse of explosion is meant motion produced to effect-the explosion by sud-- There are many.

dc)llycommunica-ted force. ways of obtaining this impulse ol explosion, such as First, by placing the nitro glyeerlne to be exploded in a tube 'or case of any suitable the bore-hole, (for blasting,) and inserting into.

the nitro-glyccrinc a tube charged with gunpowder, or gulrcotton, or other casily-explod iug substance,when, by firing the charge in but-to ignite thefnse. The fuse,

for which pur xise loose sand will do,.or the upper part of the bore may be left cntirelyopem It not convenient to pour the nitro-glyccriam directly into the bore-hole, it may be placed in cases of paper or metal or other suitable material, open or closed at top, as maybe pre- 1' Second, by'thc use of what NOBEL calls igniters or burners, being a small tube of glass, paper, or other material, filled or charged with gunpowder or other easy explosive, and furnished with a fuse or other means of igniting the same by the or by'an electric spark. The

burner may be introduced into the nitro-glythe requisite impulse of explosion. These igniters may be' greatly varied in construction, but in their shnplest form they consistof a wooden cylinder, hollow inside and filled with gluipowder, beingcorked at the one end and connected with atuse at the other. 'When the nitro-glycerine has been poured into the bore or blast hole the cylinder is let down by its h ss until it swims in the nitro-glyccrine, and then if desired, the upper part of the here is filled with loose sand, and nothing remains I init's turn, tires the explosive contained in the wooden cylinder, the hot gases of which rush into the charge of nitroglycerin, and the whole mass immediately explodes.

In the drawing, Fi re 1 illustrates one of these ignitcrs, in whic a. is the wooden 0 \'llllder; 4:, the cavity, filled with gunpowder and closed by the cork or plug f,- and the fuse. The nitro-glyceriao in the bore-ho c is-repre-- scnted at c.

Third. Athlrd method is to heat a minute portion of the chm-acct nitro-glyccrine to its point of explosion by inclosiug a minute portion of nitm glycol-inc in a tube tilled either withlmkctm\\'dcr,w]iich,bcingmisilyignitml, is tired in any convenient way, or with lime and water, or some other clunnical agents,

adapted to combine gradually, and bythcir reaction create the meccssary heat. The ex plosion in the tube will give the impulse required to explode the mass of nitm-glyccrinc.

Fourth. Still anotlwr nethml is by means of a capsule, (mm-ceommonly termed in miliwithin the charge of nitro-glyccrinc, whichis soiucloscd as not to afl'ord an escape to the gas developed thereby. lfigs. 2 and 3 illustrate the apparatus for thus effecting the explosion. h is the case for holding the charge of nitro-glyccrine, which is closed at top. a i are two wires, which pass through glass tubes kl-f, or other insulating substances in the plug crimp of the case, the wires being immersed in the nitro-glycerine, and their lower ends connected by a fine plat-inn wile, z. The wire 2 being heated by the passage of the electric current the liquid in contact with the wire is. decomposed, giving the initial explosion, and the heat and pressure developed thereby instantaueously decompose and explode the contents of the case.

Sixtl1.-Tl1e necessary impulse of explosion may also be efl'eetcd by means of an ordinary-s blastingfusc. This will do in a. closed space and under sufiicient resistance; but Elf the gases of the portion of the nit-ro-glycerine decomposed by the heat of the fuse are enabled to escape before they accumulateto such a pressure as to effect the requisite impulse of explosion, the nit-ro-glyccrine is slowly-decomposed, and the tire generally goes out-before the wholeis consumed. The explosion, if pro dueed by a fuse under the condition the confinement of the nit-ro-glycerine, is'efiected by the initial decomposition of a minute portion of nitroglycerine.

In view of the fact that nitro-glycerilie had not, at the date of Nonmis iuvc11tien,been

applied to any technical use as an explosive;

and that, by his invent-ion, he introducedthis substance from the domain of science into that of practical use in the arts- What we cla'm est-he inven -'on of ALFRED NOBEL, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut in the name of THE Gmur-Ppwumn-Gom- PANY and Tim ATLANTIC GIANT Townes COMPANY, as assignees of said Nonnmistw- 1. The mode of utilizing nitro-glyee'rine as an explosive by means of fire, heat, electricity, or an initial explosion communicated totl'i'e muss undera condition of confinement, so as t Llm'rl'o GIANT-POWDER COMPANY, havehercunto set their corporate seals and signature of the president of said emnpan'ies. (1150. C. lllOKOX, [I.. 8.]

lrmeillmr of The Atlantic Witnesses:

II. Pic-nets, (films. MnFAm'u x.-

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