US2674945A - Safety detonator package - Google Patents

Description

April 13, 1954 w. R. MARSH 2,674,945

SAFETY DETONATOR PACKAGE Filed/July 6, l1951 INVENTOR. WI//fs Marsh H05 BY, %W/% Patented Apr. 13, 1954 UNilTED STATES PAENT OFFICE SAFETY BETONATOR PACKAGE Willis R. Marsh, Magdalena, N. liicx. Application July 6, 1951, Serial No. 235,413

(CL. `M12-28) claims. l

The present invention relates to detonators and safety packages for the same and more particularly the present invention relates to detonators ofv the electric ignition type, combined with a package for said detonator and also for the explosive to be used in conjunction therewith.

In blasting with explosives it' is necessary to prime "at least one of the explosives with an explosion initiator, such as a detonator. These deton'ators usually comprise a small cylindrical container filled with an explosive charge and an electrical igniting device. One or more leads are brought out from the igniting device, usually to a considerable length, so as to provide means for connecting the detonator to a suitable firing circuit. As such a detonator is somewhat unwieldly, on account of the long leads attached thereto, and as it is easily exploded, even by a slight amount of current applied to the leads, or sometimes by shock, as often occurs in shipping or in handling, it is important to provide means for protecting the detonator, so that it will not be accidentally exploded before the time for its use.

One object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a prepared package in which the deton'ator, along with its igniter wires, are 'assembled to provide a compact and convenient package and one which will be perfectly safe to handle at all times.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described in which the detonator and associated ignition wires have a protective casing for safety and convenience in shipping and handling.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which will be waterproof, so that deterioration of the detonator will not occur during shipping or storing, even in very humid climates, it having been found that present-day detonators are often ruined by exposure to dampness, as is often found Vin mines, or even by shipping or storage i-n humid climates. When this occurs, the charge often fails to explode and considerable time and money are lost in clearing out the debris and setting a new charge, the time lost being a very expensive item, inasmuch as high-priced crews must wait outside the blasting area, until the charge is re-set and fired.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described, which will protect the igniter Wires from accidental breakage at all times. It has been found that detcnators presently iny use often have an gnter Wire broken during the leading operation,

2 with the result that the charge fails to fire and much time and money are lost, while highly-paid men must sit around and wait until the charge can be re-loaded and re-flred.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described, which will make it unnecessary for those carrying on blasting operations to hire any powder men, as is presently necessary.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described, which prevents waste and loss due to dampness, as is often encountered in blasting operations, and which will be perfectly safe to ship and to handle at all times, until the desired explosion takes place.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which will absolutely protect the detonator at all times, so that it cannot be accidentally exploded, before such time as the explosion is desired, vand which will positively fire at all times, when such explosion is desired, with no possibility of missed firing holes and the like, even in cases of rough handling, or dampness of climate or surroundings.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which will save a great deal of time in loading blasting holes and the like with explosives and connecting them up to the iiring circuit and yet which will be absolutely safe against accidental firing. at all times.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described, which is simple in construction, highly eiiicient in operation and economical to manufacture.

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more specifically set forth, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application for Letters Patent.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated preferred and practical embodiments o'f my invention, it being understood, however, that the drawings are merely illustrative and that my inventive-concept is susceptible of other embodiments and utilizations, and that the illustrated embodiments likewise are susceptible of a wide range of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

In these `drawings, `which accompany. and form a part of this specification, and in which like reference numerals are used to designate the same or like parts throughout the several iigures:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the new and novel safety detonator package of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the detonator package taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and also showing a stick of explosive in place inside the safety detonator package;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the safety detonator package shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of the end of the safety detonator package; and,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the safety detonator package of my invention in place on a stick of explosive and placed in a loading hole in rock to be blasted.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and rst adverting to that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference numeral I Il has been used to generally designate the safety detonator package of the present invention. The detonator package l may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, cardboard, waxed paper, oil-impregnated paper or cardboard, plastic, Celluloid, unbreakable glass or any other suitable material, and it may be made in any desired size or shape. The safety detonator package I D consists essentially of a cylindrical tube I2 of suiiicient size to slip over one end of a dynamite or other blasting stick. which has been indicated generally by the reference numeral I6. At the other end of the tube I2 is a plug I4 which nts snugly inside the tube I2 and is held in place by it, so that it will not move. The plug I4 may be made from wood, plastic or any other suitable material and has an axially aligned hole I bored through it. The hole I5 is of sufiicient size to receive and to hold securely in place the detonator I8, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 2. If desired, the end of the detonator I8 may protrude slightly from the end of the plug I4, in order to insure intimate contact with the dynamite or blasting stick I6.

Over the end of the tube I2 a second cylindrical tube 24 fits tightly, so as to form a waterproof joint where the two tubes I2 and 24 meet. The tube 24. may also be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, cardboard, waxed paper, oil-impregnated paper or cardboard, plastic, Celluloid, unbreakable glass or any other suitable material, and like the tube I2 it may be made in any desired shape or size, so long as it fits tightly over the tube I2, so as to form a watertight seal at the point it ts over the tube I2. If desired, the tubes I2 and 24 may be made in one continuous piece and perforations (not shown) may be used to aid in splitting the two tubes apart in order to draw out the wires 26 and 22. The detonator I 8, by way of illustration, has been shown as having two igniter wires 2li and 22 extending from the end thereof, as is usual in electric ignition detonators. These igniter wires 2B and 22 are quite long and thus to make a compact package it has been found to be desirable to wind them in a coil, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 2. This serves the dual purpose of making a compact detonator package and also enabling the user to straighten out the igniter wires 20 and 22 just prior to the blasting operation, as will be explained in the course of this description. The igniter wires 20 and 22 are wound so that the coiled wires press against the inside of the tube 24. The end of the tube 24 terminates in integral sealed end 3|), or,

for ease of assembly, it may have a tight-fitting, Waterproof cap member 23 as is shown most clearly in Fig. 4. The igniter wires 20 and 22, at the end of the coil, extend through an opening 36 in the integral end 3c or the cap member 23 and then bend back and enter the tube 24 through a second hole or opening 38 in the integral end 30 or the cap member 23, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The igniter wires 20 and 22 are covered with insulation, in order to prevent accidental discharge of the detonator I8 from stray electricity, and after they re-enter the tube 24 through the opening 38 they are bare as at 26 and 2'8 with no insulation, so that they may be quickly and easily attached to the ring circuit which sets oi the detonators. The holes 36 and 38 are separated from each other by a small piece of the material which has been designated by the reference numeral 32. If plastic is used for the tubes I2 and 24, a space may be left between the holes 36 and 38 for easy withdrawal of the Wires 28 and 22. It will thus be seen that I have provided a safety detonator package in which bare ends 28 and 28 of the igniter wires 26 and 22 remain inside the tube 24 and are prevented from coming into contact with any electricity until the time for actual connection to the firing circuit. Since the detonator I8 is held rigidly in place by the surrounding plug member I4 it is protected from bumps and jars and accidental setting olf during shipment or preparation of the loading of the dynamite or blasting sticks. It will also be readily seen that the igniter wires 2D and 22 are protected inside the tube 24 from accidental breakage, so that the detonator i8 will always go 01T when the ring circuit is closed, thus preventing missed holes in the blasting operation with their attendant time and expense in retiring them. It will also be observed that I have provided a waterproof safety detonator package that will not be aiected by water around the site of the blasting operations or humid climate. if they are stored for long periods of time.

The use of the safety detonator packages of the present invention is exceedingly simple and effective and safe. In Fig. 5 is illustrated a typical blasting site with a blasting hole 4U drilled therein. A stick of dynamite I6 has the open end of the safety detonator package tted over it and is then placed in the blasting hole 4I] in a conventional manner, such as shown in Fig. 5. The safety detonator package is then separated by pulling the tube 24 from the tube I2, and the tube 24 is then carried down as far as desired, in order to be near the firing wires (not shown). As the tube 24 is pulled from the tube I2, the coiled igniter wires 23 and 22 feed out from the inside of the tube 24, and since the coiled igniter wires 2i! and 22 iit tightly against the inside of the tube 24, they are automatically straightened out with no kinks to break the insulation over the igniter wires 29 and 22 and thus accidental breakage of the igniter wires 26 and 22 is prevented, so that the detonator I3 will explode when the igniter wire ends 26 and 28 are attached to the ring circuit. When the igniter wires 20 and 22 have been pulled out of the tube 24 a suflicient amount, the tube 24 is left hanging, as is shown in Fig. 5 and the bare ends 26 and 28 of the igniter wires 2l) and 22 remain inside the tube 24 and are protected from accidental discharge, while other holes in the blasting site are similarly loaded. After all of the blasting holes have been loaded, it is only necessary to pull the bare ends 26 and 2B of the igniter wires 20 and 22 from the tube 24, either by tearing out the small piece of material 32 between the holes 36 and 38 or by pulling out the bare ends 26 and 28 from the opening 38, after which they may be attached to the firing circuit for the blasting operation. It should be noted that up until the time the bare ends 26 and 28 of the igniter wires 26 and 22 are attached to the firing circuit, there is no way in which the detonator cap I8 may be accidentally exploded. The fact that the igniter wires and 22 are automatically straightened out when the tube 24 is pulled from the tube i2 saves a great deal of time in dekinking the igniter wires as must be presently done by hand, and this also prevents accidental breakage of the igniter wires as so often occurs using presentda-y detonator caps or packages.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herein shown and described are to be taken as preferred and practical embodiments of the same, and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety detonator package including a tube adapted to receive a blasting stick, said tube having a plug at the end opposite the blasting stick receiving end, said plug having an axially aligned hole adapted to receive and hold a detonator to set off said blasting stick, a second tube adapted to t over the first-mentioned tube at the plug end thereof and to form a waterproof joint between said tubes, igniter wires for the said detonator connected thereto at one end and coiled within the second tube and remotely positioned with respect to the blasting stickreceiving end of the first tube, the other ends of the igniter wires being interconnected to the outer end of the second tube with the terminal ends thereof located within the second tube.

2. A safety detonator package including a tube adapted to receive a blasting stick, said tube having a plug at the end opposite the blasting stick receiving end, said plug being adapted to receive and hold a detonator to set off said blasting stick, a second tube adapted to fit over the rst-mentioned tube at the plug end thereof, igniter wires for the said detonator, connected thereto at one end and coiled within the second tube and remotely positioned with respect to the blasting stick-receiving end of the first tube, the other ends of the igniter Wires being interconnected to the outer end of the second tube with the terminal ends thereof located within the second tube, the outer end of the second tube having spaced openings therein with the terminal ends of the wire extending outwardly through one opening and directed backwardly into the tube through the other opening.

3. A safety detonator package comprising a tube open at one end for the reception of a blasting stick, a detonator immovably supported in the other end of the tube, a second tube frictionally telescoped onto the detonator-carrying end of the irst tube and closed at its outer end, insulated ignition wires coiled into engagement with the inner surface of the second tube, adjacent ends of the wires connected to the detonator, the other free ends of the wires being confined within the second tube and remaining therein when the tubes are separated.

4. A safety detonator package comprising a tube open at one end for the reception of a blasting stick, a detonator immovably supported in the other end of the tube, a second tube frictionally telescoped onto the detonator-carrying end of the first tube and closed at its outer end, insulated ignition wires coiled into engagement with the inner surface of the second tube, adjacent ends of the wires connected to the detonator, the other free ends of the wires being conned within the second tube and remaining therein when the tubes are separated, and loop portions of the wires projecting outwardly of the closed end of the second tube whereby the free ends of the wires may be withdrawn from the second tube and the latter separated from the first tube.

5. A. safety detonator package comprising a tube open at one end for the reception of a blasting stick, a detonator immovably supported in the other end of the tube, a second tube frictionally telescoped onto the detonator-carrying end of the first tube and closed at its outer end, insulated ignition wires coiled into engagement with the inner surface of the second tube, adjacent ends of the Wires connected to the detonator, the other free ends of the Wires being confined within the second tube and remaining therein when the tubes are separated, and an interconnection between the ignition wires and the outer end of the second tube whereby the free ends of the wires are conned in the second tube until the detonator package is ready for use.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 173,680 Smith Feb. 15, 1876 1,091,878 Cordray Mar. 31, 1914 1,446,664 Saucier Feb. 27, 1923 1,458,740 Wells June 12, 1923 1,570,733 Eschbach Jan. 26, 1926 1,571,478 Hirthler et al Feb. 2, 1926 2,062,189 Olin et al. Nov. 24, 1936

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