US659842A - Composition for blasting-powder. - Google Patents

Description

PATENT i ntros.

GEORGE BENEKE, OF SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND.

COMPOSITION FOR BLA STlNG-POWDER.-

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,842, dated October 16, 1900.

Application filed January 31, 1899 n'erial No. 704,015. (No, specimens.)

specially-prepared carbon carrier, as hereinafter described, whereby greatly-improved" efiects are obtained. The substances chiefly used in the manufacture of the said blasting. powders are nitrate of soda or othbr nitrates, with or without nitrate of potash and sulfur, together with. a specially-prepared carbon carrier, as hereinafter described.

The main part'of this invention consists in the special treatment of the carbon carrier,

which can be made from one or more of the following: asphaltum, pitch, resin, lac, varnish, oils, naphthalene, anthracene, 'phenanthrone, all kinds of wax, and the like. In carrying out my preliminary treatment of the carbon carrierl make use of an oxidizing agent withor without additional carbon, such as charcoal, coke, or the like.

The special treatment of the carbon carrier has the additional advantage of diminishing the dangerous sensibility and frequent unstableness. of the oxidizing agents, and my invention renders them comparatively safe against friction and percussion, while at the sane time this treatment largely prevents crystallizingout and consequent danger of explosion from a variety of causes. This aotion of rendering the oxidizing agent more stable is independent of the, added carbon.

In my experiments on flame-reducing substances and nitrate-of-ammonium compounds I have used melted resin'for the purpose of waterproofing the flame-reducing salts; but I have now discovered that I can use the melted resin (and other substances above indicated) for the purpose of rendering the oxidizing agent more stable, and I am enabled v by my discovery to make safe and reliable explosives from nitrate of soda and nitrate of potash and other nitrates.

Variousexplosives have been invented from time to time, consisting principally of saltthen be proceeded with.

peter or nitrate of soda, sulfur, and other ingredients simultaneously admixed with a plastic substance, which will bind the powder together into a hard mass under pressure. These explosives, however, have this very scrious defect that their temperature of ignithis serious defect is remedied under the following process of manufacture:

Example: Inorder to carryout my invention, I first'proceed" to make a specially-prepared carrier of carbon. By way of example I melt (by heating) or dissolve (by means of a suitable solvent) from ten to sixteen parts ofpitch or resin or other suitable carbon carrier until it isin a fluid state and stir into it one to two and ione-half parts of finely-powdered bichromate of potash and about five parts of finely-powdered charcoal or other finely-powdered carbon. The mixture is constantly stirred until the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed. The mixture is then cooled or dried and ground to an extremely-fine powder, or the. mixture maybe used in a fluid or viscous state, as-may be found most convenient. The incorporation of the oxidizing agent and charcoal or other finel'y powdered carbon into the carbon carrier is of very great importance and renders the mixture more easily combustible and not so inert;, but, as before explained, the added carbon has little or no effect in rendering the oxidizing agent stable. To about eighteen to twenty-three parts of this powder or liquid mass I add sixty-five to seventy parts of dry and finely powdered nitrate of soda and mix them well together and then add five to ten parts of nitrate of potash and ten to twelve parts of sul-- fur previously ground together into a fine powder. The mixing of the ingredients and subsequent pressing of the powder should Before pressing the powder should be heated to a temperature which will slightly soften the carbon carrier,

or it may be pressed cold, a.ccording to the carbon carrier selected. It is then-gran ulated.

in lieu of nitrate-0f soda and -sulfu'r,'es above described in order to form explosive niixtu res capable of being employed in blasting operations.

The specially-prepared carbon carrier in addition to rendering theoxidizing agent more stable" also insures the better ignition and detonation of the -explosive compounds herein referred to, of which it forms aninv gredient. v

What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters'Patent, is- 1. As a, new article of manufacture for use as an ingredient in the subsequent manufacture-of nit-rate, explosives thc carbon carrier composed ofresin, a chromium oxidizing agent and carbon, all incorporated coherently together as and for the purposes set forth.

' 2. As a new article'oi' manufacture for use as ah ingredient in the subsequent manufacture of nitrate explosives, Hie carbon carrier composed of iento sixteen. parts resin, one to two'and one-half parts chromium oxidizing agent and five parts carbon all incorporated coherently together, as and for the purposes set forth. i

In witness ivhereofl have hereunto signed my name-in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. i

y e oReE ENEnE.

Witnesses: I v 1 l I WM. G. MURRAY, S. MOCREADY.