GB1222935A - Explosive delay initiator - Google Patents

Abstract

1,222,935. Delay compositions. E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO. 6 Aug., 1969 [19 Aug., 1968], No. 39330/69. Heading C1D. [Also in Divisions C2 and F3] An explosive delay initiator comprises a priming charge and a delay burning composition which comprises a metal salt of trinitrotoluene (TNT). The preferred salts are of sodium, potassium and lead. Other metals are barium, aluminium, iron, copper and silver, or mixtures of the salts may be used. The mono- and disubstituted alkali metal salts and alkaline earth metal salts may be prepared by reacting TNT with a hydroxide or alkoxide of the metal; e.g. TNT dissolved in methanol may be treated with an equimolar amount of sodium methoxide in 25% solution in methanol, the methanol evaporated and the residue slurried with benzene to remove unreacted TNT and recover the monosodium salt. Heavy metal salts may be prepared by a metathesis reaction between such an alkali metal salt and a water-soluble salt of the heavy metal e.g. a nitrate, sulfate, chloride or acetate. The device is intended for low delays e.g. 25 or 50 milliseconds, and the salt is preferably mixed with a burning rate modifier such as dibasic lead phosphite (DLP). The modifier may instead be an oxidizer, such as a chlorate, e.g. sodium or potassium chlorate, potassium or other perchlorate or permanganate, barium or other peroxide, a nitrate, e.g. ammonium or sodium nitrate, or mixtures thereof.