US2398545A - Colored gas signal - Google Patents

Description

April 1946. D. M. M MILLAN ET AL 2,398,545

COLOBED GAS SIGNALS Filed Oct. 7, 1941 i J W Inventw Doa yzas /7 Aida W5 23am 752m J a'nZon 4315972? Waz'ra Attorney Patented Apr. 16, 1946 COLORED GAS SIGNAL Douglas M. MacMillan, Berkeley, John Vinton, San Francisco, and Albert C. Paiva, Berkeley, Calif. said Paiva assignor to said Vinton Application October 7, 1941, Serial No. 414,034 3 Claims. (01. 102-373) Our invention relates to improvements in co ored gas signals for civilian and military use to provide visible warning in the daytime or in the nighttime and/or to provide illumination,

and the primar object of our invention is to provide more reliable and efficient arrangements of the character indicated.

Other important objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the appended drawing, wherein for purposes of illustration we have'shown preferred embodiments of our invention.

In the drawingg Figure 1 is a side View of a device embodying a form of the invention.

Figure 2 is an approximately central longitudinal sectional View taken through Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through Figure 1, line 3-3.

The chemica1 combustible compounds utilized in the various forms of the invention shown in the drawing are especially devised, in the case of the colored gas producing composition, to produce a brilliant and rich color, and in the case of the illuminating vapor or gas, to provide a brilliant and eflicient source of illumination, the vapors or gases being capable of mixing together without undesirably modifying each other or destroying either the rich full color or the degree of illumination when the gases are evolved simultaneously and in close proximity to each other.

Our color gas producing compound is a compacted porous mixture which consists of a suitable oxidizer, such as potassium chlorate, a suitable combustible substance such as lactose, a

suitable aniline compound or die such as paranitraniline red, with or without an intensifier such as montan wax. The preferred compound of this colored gas producing medium is as follows:

Parts Potassium chlorate 16 to 20 Lactose 12 to 16 Paranitraniline red 70 to '74 Montan wax to 2 Another colored gas or vapor producing compound in conformance with the present invention is preferably composed ofv of its shape.

The' preferred illumining gas or vapor producing compound is. as follows:"

Parts Strontium nitrate 40 Potassium chlorate 12 Sawdust -s 31 Dextrine '7 Red gum 10 Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the form therein shown is especially suitable to be thrown from a moving vehicle; as the same will come to rest quickly and avoid excessive rolling, because This form'is especially suitable for either day or night signaling as it combines the fullest efficiency of both color ignition and illumination. The device comprises the colored gas emitting container and the illumination producing composition container 22, both of suitable metal or other suitable material so that they do not burn away and having their closed bottoms secured in side by side spaced relation on a base 23. The sides of the container 60 are perforated by holes which are preferably although not necessarily spirally arranged, while the sides of the container 22 are imperforate. A plain shallow cap 24' closes the upper end of the container 60. A removable cap llc held in place by a tape I20 removably closes the upper end of the container 22 to hold wadding H0 in place on the upper end of the illuminating material body 210 which tilts the interior of the container 22 flush with the upper end thereof. A starting friction pellet 16c is present in the upper end of the body 2lc tobe ignited by the friction part of the cap Ilc when the cap has been removed. Various materials can be used to provide the friction starting pellet. We have successfully utilized one comprising by weight 13 parts each of ferrous sulphide and antimony trisulphide, 21 parts potassium nitrate and 3 parts of dextrin. The friction starting pellet has a lateral extension 25 which extends through a tube 36 connecting the upper parts of the containers 6c and 22, and through which the pellet portion 25 passes to produce ignitionof the upper end of the color producing chemical body He.

The air space between the containers to and 22 prevents undesirable transmission of heat between the two containers and their contents. The upper end of the container 60 being closed. the color producing vapors or gases leave the container only by means of the apertures or holes 90, which are considerably depressed below said upper end whereas the illumination producing vapors are emitted from the container 22 through the open top thereof, so that there is no direct mixture or conflict between the two gases or vapors, at their formative stage which otherwise would impair their mutual color or efiectiveness, the commingling of the gases taking place only as the colored gas rises naturally into contact with the illumining gas.

Thus it 'wilkbe :understood that present invene tion comprises -means whereby colored smoke is produced by emitting the colored gas at a point below the fires of the burning end of theflare in order to preserve the richness .and intensity of the colored gas produced. By the disclosed method any color ofwgasporsmoke canbe obtained by substituting forrthe paranitrani-:

.1. A signal of the character described com-v prising a first tubular container of a substantially non-combustible materialand having an imperforate side ;wall, an ignitable and combustible composition said container. adapted toburn with abrilliantluminous flameuponignition and provide a torch,. said containerrhaving;only,one

endthereof-open to .directthe flame evolvedby said composition awayrfrom said first, container alongand. in thedirectio'n of the longitudinalaxis of said first container, a second tubular container having a perforate side wall, a combustible composition in said second container adapted to burn substantially without a flame but with copious evolution of a colored gas to provide a smoke-like signal, said second container having a closure at each end thereof to force evolved gas to be directed from said second contamer-through the perforate sidewall; thereof and away from the open end of said first container to avoid contact between the colored gas emitted from the second container and the flame emitted from the. first container, and ignition means for igniting an end of said flame-emission composi-tiQnjn' said first-container and for igniting the smokeeemissionn composition in said second container to effect simultaneous burning in both saidcontainers.

2. A signal as in claim 1 wherein the first container is positioned alongside of the second containerbut spaced therefrom with that end of the firstcontainer from whichthe torch flame is emitted upon ignition lying beyond the adjacent and corresponding end of the second con: tainer. 7 1

3. A signal as in claim' 1 wherein the first and the second'container are, secured in a sideby -side substantially parallel but spaced relationship on a common support basewith the upper torch flame emission endof the first container lying above the adjacent but .spaced end of the second container. 7

DOUQLAS M, MA MILLAN. JOHN VINTQN,

ALBERT C. PAIVA;

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