USRE7481E - Improvement in explosive composlf ions - Google Patents

Description

EG BE-RT Jonson, or SAN FRANCISCO, C LI ORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT m 'ExP-Loswe COMjRQLSl-TIONS,

specificatio rarnnn r sn ur Letters Pa e Ic. 183,76;! ..dated ociogi 35 1376; reissue Nb. agar, dated January 30,1877; appliciitionfiledDecember-@1876." I i I ioallwhom it mag camera: A

' Be it known that I, EGBERT JUDSON, of-

the city and county of San Francisco, and

Stateof California, have invented an Iniprovement in Explosive Compounds; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,.and exact description thereof.

' In that special class of explosive compounds formed by mixing nitro-glycerine with various gas-producing solid substances, it is usual, in

;order to promote a rapid decompositionof the entire compound, to reduce the solid substances used to a state of comminution, and to mix them intimately with each other before they receive the nitro-glycerine. 1

For the purposes of this specification I term these solid substances the dry mixture.

These dry mixtures, as heretoiore-pi epesed .portion of nitroglycei'ine arises from the fact' that a small quality is, in a short time after its introduction, so completely absorbed or taken'up by the dry mixture that the com-l pound becomes practically inexplosive.

Moreover, these dry mixtures being in gen and largely composed of some one of then trates, anymore or less hygroscopic, and,.co i isequently, very liabl'e'to injury from moisture absorbed from the atmosphere, or otherwisel,

The object of my invention is to produce 7 cheap, safe, and powerful explosive compound, that shall contain, and be explosive withya very small proportion of nitro-gly'cerine.

The mode by which I accomplish this objectis to varnish, cement, or coat, as hereinafter described, the grains of nitrate of the'dry mixture, and also, if necessary, the carbon, or any other part that may be porous or absorbent with a varnish or cement-composed of combustible substances that will liquefy by heat, or by some highly volatile solvent, which varnish or cement I can make from certain substances that ordinarily form parts ofthe. dry mixture itself. I

If the dry mixture, or such part of itas is to receive the varnish or cement be extremely fine orpulverulen't, thisoperation of varnishing or eemen'tin'gawilligra'uulate it into grains of a sui'table'fsizeftor'-'po\\'der by cementing thefinerparticles together but, if it be'coarser. its grains -o r"-p'zir ticles will simply receive the coating o rnishiug required by my ina After theld v mixture has been treated and prepared according to. my invention, it will be found that its grains-thus coated, varnished, cemented, or si uearedfwiil receive-andretain the nitroi glyceriile upon their surfaces, or mainly upon, their surfaces, with little; or no absorption, thus enabling a very small 'proportion of ni'tro-gl'ycerine to'main taiu, its,con-

render'the wl'iole'explosiveiaud, further, that the crnnpouml will; .be.. measurably protected from dampness, i 3

The dry miXturesot'Jthe particularclass of explosives in. question} generally contain, in addition to a large proportion of soine'onejoi hydrocarbon,= ,flreSinQ'uS, "orf bituminous substances, and, in addition,fsulphur is frequently used; Qfthefirst'thr'ee ingredients mentioned there are under designation respectively 'a" lar' er'number 'o'f'substances that maybe iati'ons'to ail-almost unlimitedeXte'nm-j In tfc'ct,'l.fiow ever,all will accomplish the same purpose. inafv'arying degree,- and all may be used iii'con'nection with my invention'.;' Cheap ln'ess and efficiency combined manta-finite ,"vvhich substances shall behse'thfiand vI consequently proceed to illustrated] y invention by 3 statingone of the many formulas which'will, 3 produce a superior explosive compound,.con- {'tiningmyself to the cheap andordinary ingreldients of a dry mixture. Take, by weight, as follows: sulphur, fifteen parts resin, 'UII'QB parts; asphalt, two parts; nitrate of soda,

seventy parts; anthracite coal, ten par-ts.

Let the sulphur, resin, and asphaltbe melt- .ed together and well stirred. Into this mix- "turc,-'while melted, the nitrate of soda and ar'eto be mixed and well stirred until thoroughly varnished, cementethor coated by the melted mixture, care being used that the de- -tinuity tl-irollgliout the mass, and thereby the nitrates, ca'i'bomand one or more of the the-coal, both pulverized and thoroughly dried, v

' gree of heat .be not sufficient to create danger v of firing the mass. It is better that both nitrnte, and coal should be hot when introduced. The entire mixture should thereafter be gently hut constantly stirred until so cool that the grains-would cease to adhere to each other. The dry mixture is then complete and ready to receive the nitro-glycerine, which may be added as desired. One, two, or three per cent. of nitro-glycerine will now convert the compound into a powerful explosive; or, the proportion may be increased atpleasure up to fifteen per cent., or even more,

i. do not limit myself to the foregoingstatement of lllgrdfllEHllS, nor to the articular mode described of forming and applying the varnish, cement, or coating. The statement is only one of a large number of formulas that I might give, to all of which my'inven- 'tion would equally apply. In fact, it will be readily seen that the variations of the substances employed, and in; the manner of pre paring them, may be made almost numberiess; but with all'variations my invention demands one thing, to wit, that the grains or particles of the dry mixture shall be coated, cemented, varnished, or smeared with some combustible substance offering resistance to absorption of nitro-glycerine and of water,

- and at the same time it must be capable of hearing-any ordinary degree of heat to which the explosive compound produced may be exposed in transporting or keeping.

I have found that many resinous gums, and various bituminous substances, may be used icr'theIvarnish-or cement herein mentioned;

hut most of them are objectionable on anecunt of high cost, or otherwise. Sulphur alone may be used, and will form a very good varnish or cement; or, on the other hand, it may be omitted entirely. Some very volatile varnishes might be applied cold to the dry mixture, or certain of its parts, and would answer the purpose I have sought to a greater or less extent.

The ingredients which form the coating, 'arnis'h, or cement, may be applied without st melting them. To do'this, first grind each of the materials. of the dry mixture; then, leaving'out the carbon, mix the others all tother and proceedtto heat them well, all the no stirring, and continue until the whole is oroughly-varnished, cemented, or coated. hile the mixture is cooling the stirring, must .c carefully continued until the grains ceasc eiedcarhon, which must be perfectly dry, mix

, When carbon is used that is not porous or absorbent, it isnot necessary that it should be varnished, cemented, or coated. In that case it may only be necessary to varnish, cement, or .coat the nitrate of the mixture.

W'hile the dry mixture may not be entirely non-absorbent after it has been treatedby my varnishing, cementing, or coating proeess,it is snfiiciently so as to mainly counteract the'absorption of the nitro-glycerine, as well as to check the tendency to deliquescence. v

r I therefore term the treated drymixture non-absorbent, in contradistinction to such a'hsorbent mixtures as have heretofore been used in this class ofpowder.

The explosive compound made accordin to my invention is exploded substantially in the same manner as any other of the so-called nitro-glycerine powders.

I am aware that grains of ordinary gunpo Wder have been heretofore polished to render them to a degree non-deliquescent; and lam also aware that heretofore ordinary gunpowder has been treated with nitro-glycerine to form an explosive compound.

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

1. A powder or explosive compound of the class mentioned, consisting of particles or grains of a gas-producing material rendered nonsh e-rbent by the treatment specified, and render d explosive by, the admixture or'incorporation in nitro giyeerine, substantially in the mannerjai or the purposes set forth.

2. In the mar actors of a powder or explosive. compound, the process set forth for forming" the conglomerate grains, consisting, essentiali'y, in stirrin the dry powdered gas producing material into a melted adhesive com hustihle non-absorbent material, substan' tiaiiy as forth.

3. in mane? ct expicsive coinpounds oi' the ciass'hr en: e't'erred to, $.18 process of preparing the .s or particles of such compound for thereception of the nitroglycerine by applying-a non'ahs'orbent substance to the gr "is or pnrticlesof' ich co pounds, suhsta ed.

he as ahcve'specifi In witness wher .i have herennt hand and seal,

manner Jensen; 1.

iiitncsses 0. T. Steer, JNO. L. Boone.