Manufacture of Explosives.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th Feb., 1890-Accepted: 26th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Manufacture of Explosives.
We, FREDERICK AUGUSTUS ABEL, of No. 1 Adam Street, Adelphi, in the County
of London, Knight and JAMES DEWAR of No. 1 Scroop Terrace, Cambridge, in
the County of Cambridge, Professor of Chemistry do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the manufacture of explosives in which tannin or its
analogues or compounds is combined with nitrocellulose and also with nitrocellulose.
and nitroglycerine.
We dissolve nitrocellulose, such as guu cotton or pyroxiline by any of the known
solvents such as acetone or acetic ether. To the solution we add tannin or one of its
analogues or compounds in various proportions and we then by pressure or vaporisation
or both eliminate the solvent. The product when dry is a hard substance which can
be granulated or otherwise treated for use as an explosive.
The same product is obtained by employing a solution of tannin or its analogues in
acetone or its analogue and using this as the solvent of the nitrocellulose.
Instead of employing nitrocellulose alone in forming the compound as above
described, we may employ with it various proportions of nitroglycerine and we thus
obtain a compound of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine and tannin in a gelatinous con-
dition, which may be rolled into sheets, drawn into wire or otherwise treated for use
as an explosive.
With the compounds produced as above described. may be incorporated various
proportions of oxidising agents and oxidisable substances, or nitro derivatives of
organic bodies.
D
1
871
T
CL
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Manufacture of Explosives.
We, FREDERICK AUGUSTUS ABEL, of No. 1 Adam Street, Adelphi, in the County
of London, Knight, and JAMES DEWAR, of No. 1 Scroop Terrace, Cambridge, in the
County of Cambridge, Professor of Chemistry, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to the manufacture of explosives in which tannin or its
analogues or compounds is combined with nitrocellulose and also with nitrocellulose
and nitroglycerine.
We dissolve nitrocellulose, such as gun cotton or pyroxiline, by any of the known
solvents such as acetone or acetic ether. To the solution we add tannia or one of its
analogues or compounds in various proportions and we then by pressure or vaporisation
or both eliminate the solvent. The product when dry is a hard substance which can
be granulated or otherwise treated for use as an explosive.
The same product is obtained by employing a solution of taunin or its analogues in
acetone or its analogue and using this as the solvent of the nitrocellulose.
Instead of employing nitrocellulose alone in forming the compound as above
described, we may employ with it various proportions of nitroglycerine and we thus
obtain a compound of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine and tannin in a gelatinous con-
dition, which may be rolled into sheets, drawn into wire or otherwise treated for use
as an explosive.

page_text: With the compounds produced as above described may be incorporated various
proportions of oxidising agents such as nitrates of potassium, sodium, ammonium and
barium, and oxidisable substances such as lamp black, graphite, hydrocarbons such as
paraffin, vaseline and napthaline, cellulose, fatty oils and fats, or nitro derivatives of
hydrocarbons.
The proportion of tannin added for the purposes of our invention may be varied;
in treating gun cotton alone we have found the proportion of 90 parts of gun cotton
and 10 parts of tannin to give good results.
In the case of a compound of gun cotton and nitro-glycerine we have employed the
following proportions with advantage:
Nitroglycerine
Gun cotton
Tannin
55 p.c. 35 p.c.-40 p.c.
35 p.c. 55 p.c.-40 p.c.
10 p.c. 10 p.c.-20 p.c.
Under the term "tannin" is to be understood any of the substances that are sold
commercially under the name of "tannic acid"; we prefer however to use gallotannic
acid for the purpose of our invention.
By the addition of tannin to explosives which, without it, are of a strongly dis-
ruptive character, we so moderate the explosive force as to give it a propulsive rather
than a disruptive character, and thus we render these explosives suitable for
ammunition, and at the same time we secure permanency of the compounds without
change.
• Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
The manufacture of explosives consisting of nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose with
addition of tannin or its compounds substantially as and for the purposes herein set
forth.
Dated this 25th day of February 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.