US1309588A - Bursting charge for containers intended to be exploded - Google Patents

Description

L. REESE. BURSTING CHARGE FOR CONTAINERS INTENDED TO BE EXPLODED, AND PROCESS OF FORMING SMD CHARGE. 7 APPLICATION FILED AUG-4.1917.

1,3G95g iufented July 8, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. REESE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR T0 E. I. DU FONT DE- NEMOURS AND COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON. DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

BURSTING CHARGE FOR CONTAINERS INTENDED TO BE EXPLODED. AND PROCESS OF FORMING SAID CHARGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

*atcnted July 8, 1919.

' Application filed August 4, 1917. Serial No. 184,490.

1 b all whom 2'1- mug concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. REESE, of 'ilmington, in the county of New Castle, and in the State of Delaware, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bursting Charges for Containers Intended to be Exploded, and Processes of Forming Said Charges, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to bursting charges for containers intended to be exploded, such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mincs, etc, and processes oi forming said charges in the containers which are to hold them.

The object of the invention is to provide such a bursting charge and process which shall have, among others, the advantages of rendering available new sources of raw materials; of providing materials capable of being used for the purpose, either by themselves or with others; and of providing a process by which said mixtures can be cast into shells or other containers intended to be exploded, and there caused to solidify and completely till the space provided for the charge, and to such ends the. invention comprises the bursting charge for shells, grenades. torpedoes, mines and other containers intended to be exploded, and the process of forming the same hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawing The figure is an axial HGCLIOII of a shell containing a bursting charge embodying my invention.

The invention is capable of being carried out in many difi'erent ways, but for the purpose of 'llustration only one form of the invention will be described herein.

In filling with bursting charges, containers intended to be exploded, such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mines, etc., it is desirable to introduce the largest possible charge into a iven space, so as to producethemaximum possible bin-sting effect. TllllltlOtOlllOl has heretofore been used to a very large extent, hecausd, among other reasons, ithas a relatively'low melting point and is therefore easily mcltedrit can he kept melted while being introduced into the shell or other body,

and it does not freeze or solidify until it has reached the [inal condition in which it is to remain. The supply of t'rinitrotoluol. however. may not be adequate. and it is very desirable to render other materials available to replace the trinitrotoluol wholly or in part. I have discovered a new bursting charge for the said purpose. which isot' high power. and which may consist wholly of a new substance, or of such substance combined with other explosives. While the said substance is .lsct'ul and valuable when introduced into the shell or other container in solid condition. its melting point is too high to permit it. as a practical matter. to be melted and cast into the shell. I have therefore invented a process b which the said substance can,'in cll'cct, become part ot a molten mass, of such low melting point as to be capable. ol being successfully cast into the shell.

The new substance to which l rc'l'er is produced by the nitration of aromatic hydrocarbons ot' the benzene series, having a higher boiling point than toluene, for instance a boiling point. between 13()H2 and. in particular, by the nitration of xylene. The nitration is accomplished by the use ol strong nitric and sulfuric acid,and the action is preferably so controlled as to produce a solid. finely divided product. I lind that when starting with xylene I am able to prepare a solid nitroxylene, which approximates trinitroxylene in composition.

This product can he detonated by ordinary commercial detonators, and has an explosive t'orce nearly equal to that of trinitrotoluol.

In charging a shell, the uilroxylene 'may be pressed into the shell in a dry condition, making a compact charge which is readily detonated by the usual primer, or it may be mixed with another nitro compound, such, for example. as trinitrotoluol.

" In order to get'the ett'cct of completely casting the shell or other container full of the explosive, I mix the said aromatic nitro bodies, made from the aromatic hydrocarbons, having boiling points higher than toluol, with more easily fusible nitro bodies, such as trinitrotoluol, and cast the mixture together into the shell. For example, amixture of approximately 40% nitroxylene and matically, a shell ,we r e feasible. F I i v i lhe trnntrotoluolused may be either a (30% trinitrotoluol can be'thusca'st. Desirable proportionsare to parts of trinitrotoluol and 50 to 30, parts of nitroxylene.

In the figure of the accompanying drawing, I have shown, more or. less diagrambody 1, havii within it a bursting charge 2, such as have described, and having a fuse-3 containing a detonator for detonating the bursting eharge Q.

By thus mixing and casting. the charges, it is not necessary to .use [temperatures greatly above those'ot themore easily fusible nitro bodies, and yet, substantially the same effect. is obtained as if themore difii cultly fusible. nitro bodies 'were melted and cast into the shell or other container, if that crude product, such as obtained bydirect nitration of toluol or' a productobtained by refining the crude product. The mixture is prepared for casting by melting the trinit-rotoluol and to this melted product; adding the solid trinit-roxylol, keeping the temperature of the mixture well above the melting point of the triuitrotoluol. Thorough mix ing of the two explosives can be carried out method of mechanical by hand. Only a very small proportion of the trinitroxylol is soluble in or melted by the trinitrotoluol.

It is not necessary duce a liomogenepus trinitroxylol can be added in very appreciable amounts until the mixture carries a that the mixture promaximum percentage of trinitroxylol insuswhether the mixture can be poured.-

' stated, represented by one used satisfzu-torily. I prefer,

The maximum percentage that can determined by Such pension, be added in suspension is a mixture is,'-as carrying 00%- ot' trinitrotoluol and 40% of trinitroxylol, :such a mixture pouring nicely at about t. Higher percentages of trinitroxylol can be used, especially it higher temperatures are employed and lower percentages ot' trinit-roxylol of course can be however, the 60-t() mixture, inasmuch as it produces a mixture that can'be easily poured and gives a casting of excellent physical and explosive properties,

This invention thus makes it possible to till a shell as completelywith a charge consisting partly of the more ditlicultly fusible nitro bodies as it trinitrotol uol.

n01, in such proportions bination of 50 to containing molten 'trinitrotoluol liquid product, but the containing molten tllllitlOiOluQtlO,

has heretofore been 7 ing point. I

2. A buisting charge comprising the combination of a highly nitrated xylene with 3. A bursting char e comprising the com-1 1 bination of a nitrate xylene which is solid at ordinary temperatures; with trinitrotolthat the. mixture can be poured at temperatures below C. 4. A bursting charge comprising'the com- 70 parts of trinitrotoluol and 50 to 30 parts of a nitrated xylene.

5. A bursting charge comprisin r a liquid liaving a nitrated .xylene dissolved therein.

6. A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing molten trinit-rotolucne having an'itrated xylene 1n suspension therein.

7 A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing molten trinitrotoluene having a nitrated xylene dissolved and in suspension therein. 3 7

A burstingcharge comprising a liquid containing molten trinitrotoluene having a nitrated xylene. thereinin excess of the amount soluble in the trinit-rotoluene.

9. A bursting charge comprising a liquid having trinitroxylene dissolved therein.

10. A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing molten 11. A bursting charge comprising a liquid torped0,

trinitrotoluol' having trmltroxylene suspended therein.

containing molten trinitrotoluol having trinitroxylene dissolved and suspended. therein. A v 12. A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing molten trinitrotoluol having I trinitroxylene therein in excess of the amount soluble in the trinitrotolnene.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto setmy hand CHARLES 'L. REESE.

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