US1059214A - Time-burning railway signal-fusee. - Google Patents

Description

LOUIS S. Ross, or NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

-TIME-BURNING RAILWAY SIGNAL-FUSEE.

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913..

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS S. Ross, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newton'ville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Time- Burning Railway Signal-Fusees, of which the following de' scription is a specification;

This invention relates to improvements in compounds for time burning railway signal fusees, the primary object thereof being to' produce a Compound which is not only substantiallyimmune from tendency to spontaneous ignition or combustion, but which burns efliciently without tendency toward incandescenceand within predetermined time limits and that can be ignited at a lower temperature than the so-called perchlorate fusee heretofore made.

A further object of the invention is to produce a fusee that will burn without leaving an objectionable residue and which is devoid of adulterants, and therefore is of minimum bulk and minimum length, thus adapting the fusee more easily to transportation and storage, while rendering it less liable to break in use, owing to the decreased leverage when thrown.

In most compositions for railway signal fusees produced prior to my. invention there have been certain recognized characteristics of the ingredients constituting the fuse'es' that rendered the latter extremely suscepti ble to spontaneous ignition, particularly in the presence of heat or moisture.

- The so-called chlorate time burning signal fuse-e is composed of chlorate, sulfur, carbohydrate and metallic nitrate in suitable proportions, and the so-called perchlo' rate fusee is composed of perchlorate, sulfur, carbohydrate and metallic nitrate in suitable proportions.

In my tests and experiments to eliminate the known objections of the perchlorate fusee and to perfect such fusee, I have as-' certained that the employment of a carbohydrate in a perchlorate tusee is gravely and peculiarly objectionable. That is to say, I have ascertained that although a carbohydrate may be employed satisfactorily in a so-called chlorate fusee, its presence in a perchlorate fusee is objectionable owing to thecombined presence of carbohydrate and perchlorate. A serious objection to the so-called perchlorate fusee is due to the in- Applic ation filed January 2, 1913. Serial No. 739.797.

creased oxidizing power of perchlorate which differs from chlorate only in that it contains anadded atom of oxygen. This ob ectlon is a particularly serious one in the use of fusees of combined colors, for the tendency to incandescence and excessive brilliancy causes the red,,yellow and green fusee flames to lose their characteristic colors and gradually to merge nearer a whiter light. I have discovered in the course of long experimentation that this objection is very materially overcome by the elimination of carbohydrate and by the employment of hydrocarbon or carbon, or both,,or in other words, by the employment of carbonaceous material that is devoid of oxygen. The overcoming of the said objection I attribute largely to the fact that the carbohydrate contains oxygen, which is not present in the hydrocarbon or in the carbon. The added oxygen present in the perchlorate is to a very considerable extent compensated for by the absence thereof in the hydrocarbon and carbon,eventhough the amount of hydrocarbon or carbon, or both, is less than that of the perchlorate. A further objection to the so-called'perchlorate fusee is that it burns too quickly; that is, with a decreased burning interval after a short period following manufacturing. As a result of my said experiments, I attribute this defect in part at least to the added oxygen present in the perchlorate. The absence of oxygen in the hydrocarbon and in the carbon compen sates therefor, and hence there is less tendency of my fusee to burn for a shorter period than the minimum vtime'limit. The so-called perchlorate fusee is also objectionable in that it requires a. temperature of substantially 310 C. to ignite, this being considerably higher than the 250 C. re-

quired by the bureau for the safe transportation of explosives. I have discovered that by eliminating carbohydrate and by employing hydrocarbon or carbon, or both,

substantially asherein set forth, I am enabled to make a fusee containing perchlorate, which fusee is somewhat more readily inflammable than the perchlorate-carbohydrate fusee.

Not only does the carbohydrate heretofore employed in the manufacture of perchlorate fusee leave an objectionable residue and also prevent-the proper burning of the perchlovrate fuses, but the carbohydrate has been metallic salt or metallic nitrate.

fuses more bulky and hence of increased length for a predetermined burning time,

thus rendering it more liable to breakage when 'it is thrown from a train in use. so-called perchlorate fusee is also objectionable in' that it is more easily extinguished when thrown from a moving train than a 4 fusee 'of the so-called chlorate type, and .it

is harder to ignite than a fusee of the said chlorate type.

In my experiments asheretofore set forth,

I have eliminated the carbohydrate and have employed carbonaceous material that is devoid of oxygen and preferably either in the form of a hydrocarbon or of a carbon, or both. In making suchelimination and in employing hydrocarbon or carbon, or both, to the exclusion of a carbohydrate, I have been compelled to make many tests under commercial conditions before obtaining 'a perchlorate fusee wherein such carbonaceous material is present in the proper proportions with respect to the other ingredients, namely, the perchlorate, the sulfur and the I have, however, secured satisfactory results with the elimination of the carbohydrate and by the employment of a hydrocarbon or of a carbon or both; that is, of a carbonaceous material devoid of oxygen. Moreover, I have found that a perchlorate fusee containing suchcarbonaceous material devoid of oxygen is not so readily extinguished as is a perchlorate fusee containing carbohydrate, and that it is not so hard to ignite as is a perchlorate fusee containing carbohydrate. In other words, I have not only, in the elimination of the carbohydrate, eliminated certain objections which my experiments have convinced me were due to thecarbohydrate, but I have eliminated certain objections heretofore supposed to be inherently and necessarily characteristic of a perchlorate fusee, and due solely to the presence of the perchlorate; namely, the relative ease with which it is extinguished when thrown from a moving train, the relative difficulty of igniting the same, the tendency of the fl ames toward incandescence, and the high temperature required for lgnition. I have furthermore discovered that by using hydrocarbon or carbon, or both, the perchlorate fusee when properly made w1ll not only not be so easily extinguished when thrown and will not be so hard to lgnite,

The

but it will burn with the production of proper colors.

I have discovered that in certain cases the perchlorate fusee burns with somewhat dulled or muddy colors, although approaching incandescence, and my tests and experiemalo in the in redients in substantiall the following proportions: metallic salt (preferably nitrate) 72 parts, sulfur 12 parts, hydrocarbon 6 parts, potassium perchlorate 12 parts.

While it is possible'to vary the proportions of the ingredients',-and I am not to belimited to the variations of the proportions herein set forth,-I have also obtained excellent results. by using from ten to sixteen parts of sulfur, and by usingfrom four to'eight parts of hydrocarbon. I have also 'obtained excellent results by employing sub stantially the following proportion of parts:

metallic salt (preferably nitrate) 64 parts, sulfur 10 parts, carbon 4 parts, perchlorate of potassium 20 parts. Good results may also be obtained by increasing the metallic nitrate to seventy-six parts or less, by ,in-

creasing the sulfur to eighteen parts or less, by increasing the carbon to ten parts or less and by decreasing the perchlorate of potassium to ten parts or more. I have also obtained good results by employing hydrocarbon and carbon in suitable admixtures or proportions of the said two ingredients. For example, instead of employing four parts of carbon, I may employ three parts of hydrocarbon and one of carbon, or two parts of hydrocarbon and two of carbon, or such other combination of the two ingredients as desired. Moreover, instead of employing ten parts of carbon, I may employ a suitable admixture of hydrocarbon and carbon, such, for example, as sevenparts of carbon and three parts of hydrocarbon. In no case, however, do I employ a carbohydrate. The hydrocarbon in the use of which I have obtained the best result is erably in a finely powdered state, excepting the petroleum grease. Any suitable perwow/2 149 such, for exolllomte may lee employed,

of soample, as perchlorate o1 gootessiumn diam, or of barium.

Having thus (1 my invention, I

slge

ggleeilenios, Viz; sulfur, perchlorate, metollio isitre'te, and carbonaceous material that is 'devoial of oxygen, m such proportions 'as thereby to ro" ace s :iusee for the urpose steterl burn-111g wlth bmlhsncy and iorce of flame within precletermined time'limits and Without moendesceece, and that is not subject to spool-moons ignition or combustion.

2.. An improved time homingv railway fuses com of the "following ingradients, viz; sulfur, perchlorate, metallic nitrate, and hyclrocsrbon, in such propertions as thereby to j roiluce a fusee' for the pur *ose stete burnmg "with brilliency and force of flame within predeterminml' time limitssocl without incandescence,;end that is not susg'ect to spontaneous ignition or combustion. ,f

3.. An improved time burning railway signal 'lfusee composed of the following ingreclients, vie; sulfitr, perchlorate, metallicnitrate, and. hydrocarbon anti carbon, in

.termined time limits one; Withoutinc 'such proportions as thereby to procluce fusee for thepurpose stated burlbmlhanoy and 2: mg with force of flame within pretleterminal. time limits and without incaxles sense, and that-is not subject to spontane one ignition or combustion.

4%. An improvetltlme burning railway signal fuses composed of the following it gredients, is; sulfur, perchlorate of co tassium, metallic nitrate, and hycll'ooafooe, in suoh proportions as thereby to procluoe e fusee for the purpose stated, burning with brilliency and force of flame Within determined limits and Without incandeseence, end that is not subject to spontaneous ignition or combustion.

5. An improve time burning railway signal fusee composej of the following ingredlents, namely, sulfur, perchlorate, metelliosalt burning with color, and fiislbfinaoeous material that is devoid of oxygen,

such proportions as thereby to produce fuses for the purpose stated burning brllllency and force of flame wltnn'l 2m commend that is not subject. SPO? igziltion or combustion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence oi two" subscribing esses.

LGEHS s, E3

Witnesses:

JOHN R. MotrmoN, \llevme U Towxssso.