US1280279A - Gelatinized propellant-explosive and process of preparing same. - Google Patents

Description

FREDERIC LEWIS NATHfleN AND WILLIAM RINTOUL, OF STEVENSTON, AND FRANK BAKER, DECEASED, LATE F STEVENSTON, SCOTLAND, BY HENRY BAKER, OF ETOIQ', WINDSOR, ENGLAND, ADMINISTRATOR 0F SAID FRANK BAKER, ASSIGNORS T0 NOBELS EXPLOSIVE COMPANY LIMITED, 0F GLASGOW, SCOTLANE).

GELATIMIZED PROPELLANT-EXPLOSIVE AND PROCESS OF PREPARING- SAME.

lilo Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Colonel Sir Fneoemc Lewis NATHAN and Winner Rmroun, both subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland and residing at Ardeer, Stevenston,

' Ayrshire, Scotland, and Fro-mil BAKER, de-

till

ceased, lute of Ardeer, Stevenston, Ayrshire, Scotland, invented a certain new and useful Gelatinized Propellant-Explosive and Process of Preparing Same, of which the following is a specification.

Present day smokeless powders ere enerolly prepared by gcletinizing nitrocel ulosc, either when used alone or with nitroglycerin, by a, volatile solvent but this entails certain disadvantages, the drying process for removing the solvent being lengthy and, what is Worse, besides tending owing to the heating to affect the stability, is incomplete, so that during storage an after-drying and slow production of irregularities in the material can occur,

In the course of investigations upon the stabilizing o'f nitric-ester-contnining ex losiir es We found that certain unihds {see United States application Serial Number 771621) Patent No. 1,090,642, granted March 17, 191 are )articularly adopted for use for stabilization ut we have further found that among these bodies some ere also effective gcletinizcrs for mixtures of nitroglycerin and nitrocelluloses. I

.ziccordiug to the present invention therefore we utilize one or more such substances to produce it gcletinizcd propellant explosive from those nitric esters, the gclntinizer remaining in the final product and acting as stabilizer.

The following is a list of some of thesubstonccs referred to which possess this double property nunicly:-

Forinn'oilid (Lllnlh ll'iethyl forrnnnilid (Lll llhl llthyl l'oiniunilid (Li-QUE l henylformunilid lll ON Ethyluceteuilid ih ll tlN Phcuyl ecetanilid mtl l'l tll l mi or c ii ou orm ortho toluirlirl-- l orm pnrit toluidid iilicnyl sect, ornuphtholid -i tl ll tlll lhcuyl acct tlquiphthnlid a--- tj il tlh' lfitliyl acct fi-nuphtlutlid. (3,, ll tlN flootol'tllo :misidicl U lI O N Acct ortlio phenetidid G ll O N Patented Uct. tulle.

Serial No. 821,337.

"-().C H in one of the above compounds often but little affects their gelatinizing and stabilizing power.

In carrying the invention out in one Way 7.5 parts by weight of formnnilid are dis solved in 40 parts of nitroglycerin and this solution then incorporated by the Wet incorporation method of Lundholm English Patent No. 10376 of 1889 with 52.5 parts of soluble nitrocellulose of 12.6% nitrogen content, which has been prepared by nitrating cotton waste at the ordinary temperature,-

and purified by boiling with water.

In carryi g out the incorporation method which consists in bringing the nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose to 'ether in an aqueous suspension the nitroce lulose is suspended in a solution ofthe formanilid of a strength or 1.02 per cent.

The pasty admixture so obtained is freed as for as possible from water by pressing and rolling between rollers heated to from 40 to CL, efter which it is again rolled at a. temperature of from 50 to 76 C. and {L gelatinized sheet of the desired thickness obtained Which'is either out into strips or flakes or extruded from at press. 'lhus to form from this compound at cord slightly more than 5 millimeters in diameter a, pressure of some 70 kilograms per square centi' meter would he required at wtempereture of 50 1, or of 337 kilograms square centimeter ill; C. or of 267 kilograms per square centimeter at YO C.

The bodies considered very in their gelatinizing oficct and the choice of the material to be used in any particular case also depends largely upon the nature of the nitrocellulose to be treated} it powerful gelatinizer such as ethyl eceten ilid being more suitable for gun cotton or insoluble nitrocellulose than Weaker L eletinizers which may be quite satisfactory for nitrocellulose of the kind employed in melting celluloid. Again the greater the proportion of nitrocellulose in the mixture the more ciiecti c the gelatinizcr, which has both to colloid the fibrous nitrocellulose end to increase the plasticity of the final product, should be.

nizers than stabilizers or convenient to use mlxtures thereof using for As certain of the bodies are better gelativice versa it may be ortho an-isidid and phenylacet-B-naphthalid introduction into the and vice versa as regards the poorer gelatinizing power of the latter being compensated by that of the former their stabilizing effects.

The amount of the gelatinizing and stabilizing agent or agents used will vary but generally be between 5 and 12% of the whole mixture.

The physical properties of the agent or agents used will affect the above method or mixture for While liquid bodies" such as ethyl fprmanilid are easily' dissolved in the nitroglycerin, solids require to be finely ground and thoroughly agitated with the nitroglycerin or to be melted, if of low fusing point, and so added to the nitroglycerin. By admixture the melting point may be reduced, a mixture for instance of 60% formanilid (melting point 7 C.) and 40% form-ortho-toluidid (meltingl point 62 C.) being liquid at 20 C. W ere the substance or substances used is or are soluble in water and the Wet incorporation method is used, the suspension should be efi'ected in a solution of the substance or substances of such strength that having regard to the mixture used the right final composition results. Thus for a mixture of 35% nitroglycerin, 55% of soluble nitrocellulose (12.6% nitrogen) and 10% gelatinizcr the suspension should be effected in a 1.25% solution when usingformanilid or a 0.85% solution when using form-ortho-toluidid.

' Having now described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. The process of producing a gelatinized propellant explosive which comprises mixing together nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose and an anilid capable both of gelatinizing nitrocellulose and of stabilizing nitric esters, and a second anilid possessing both these properties, one of these anilids possessing the first mentioned property to a smaller extent and the second mentioned property to a larger extent than the other anilid,.and then gelat-' inizing the mixturc.

2. A gelatinized and stabilized propellant explosive comprising an anilid capable both of gelatinizing nitrocellulose and of stabilizing nitric esters, and a second anilid possessing both these properties, one of these anilicls possessing the first mentioned property to a smaller extent and the tecond mentioned property to a larger extent than the other anilid.

3. A gelatinous propellant explosive containing about forty parts of nitroglycerin, about 52.5 parts of soluble nitrocellulose/of 12.6% nitrogen content and about 7.5 parts of formanilid.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of subscribing witnesses.

FREDERIC LEWIS NATHAN. WILLIAM RINTOUL.

HENRY BAKER. Administrator of the estate of Fz cmlc Bake? deceased. Witnesses:

N. B. MILNE, ALEX Forums. Witnesses:

BERTRAM H. MATTHEWs,

A. OUTHWAITE.