GB1104039A - Apparatus and method for preparing explosives - Google Patents

Abstract

A continuous process for preparing explosives comprises feeding wet explosive through a protecting wall on to a vibrating conveyer where it is dried by hot air, weighing automatically into containers and discharging through a protecting wall, movable shields in the protecting walls being adapted to close when explosive is not passing through the walls. Wet initiating explosive is fed, Figs. 4-6 (not shown), through a protecting wall by means of a chain conveyer carrying a container. An automatically operated clutch reverses the direction of the feed conveyer when the container has discharged. By means of cams, shielding plates are raised and lowered in time with the passage of explosive through the wall. Each container discharges into a granulator and the granules pass on to a preliminary conveyer, Figs. 10-12 (not shown), which includes mesh to remove coarse and fine grains. The main drying conveyer, Figs. 13-15 (not shown), is vibrated by means of motors and is stepped so that the explosive turns over during drying. Hot air is fed into compartments underneath the conveyer. The weighing and discharge apparatus is shown in Fig. 18. Dry explosive passes from the conveyer 3 through funnel 134 to an automatic device (see Division G1) which introduces a weighed amount into a container 82 at position D. The container is carried by chain conveyer 81 through protective wall 13A to position E where the container is removed and the direction <PICT:1104039/C1/1> of the conveyer is reversed. By means of clutch and cam mechanism, the movement of the conveyer is correlated with the automatic weighing and with th raising and lowering of shielding plates 105, 105A.