Improvements in the Manufacture of Gunpowder and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gunpowder and in Apparatus
therefor.
We, GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRÉ of Havelock Cottage, Dorking in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, and CHARLES HERBERT CURTIS of 74 Lombard
Street, in the City of London, Gunpowder Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to our invention we subject the powder when in a plastic mass as it
issues from the kneading machine to the action of a jet or jets of air steam or
other fluid which acts in such manner as to break up the plastic mass into small
cubes or grains. The mass may for instance be acted upon directly at any angle as
it issues through the exit tube of the kneading machine or it may be passed in the
form of a ribbon or strip on to or over a perforated plate or piece of wire gauze
and made into grains by being blown or forced through the meshes thereof.
Dated this 16th day of January 1891
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gunpowder. and in Apparatus
therefor.
We, GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRÉ late of Havelock Cottage Dorking in the
County of Surrey but now of Glenlean, Sandbank in the County of Argyle
Engineer and CHARLES HERBERT CURTIS of 74 Lombard Street in the City of
London Gunpowder Manufacturer 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:-
According to our invention we subject the gunpowder material when in a plastic
state on issuing from the kneading machine to the action of air steam water or
other fluid under pressure as it passes in the form of a ribbon strip or otherwise on
to or over a perforated plate or piece of wire gauze so that it is made into small
cubes, pellets or grains by being forced into and blown or forced out of the
perforations of the plate or the meshes of the wire gauzes.
In the accompanying drawings we illustrate a suitable mode of carrying this
invention into effect,
Fig. 1 being a side view, Fig. 2 an end view and Fig. 3 a plan partly in section
of an apparatus for producing gunpowder pellets of cylindrical form.
A is a hollow cylinder formed with a tubular neck A' with a pipe connection A*
which communicates with a pump or reservoir under pressure for supply of water
to the cylinder A the other end of the latter being closed by a cover A. A' is a
slot in the bottom of the cylinder. The neck A¹ of the cylinder is held fast in the
head B on a bedplate B'. Or if the cylinder A is formed with a neck at each end
it may be held in a head at each end, but we prefer the arrangement shewn,
especially if the cover A³ is to be detachable, this cover may be screwed on or be
fixed by bayonet joint or by interrupted screw threads like the breech block of a
gun; A is a hexagon or square lug to take a spanner.
Upon the cylinder A is placed the ring C with a good but easy fit so as to
rotate thereon. The rotation is effected by means of a band on the pulley C¹ from
some rotating shaft. The ring C has perforations of the size of the pellets to be
D
11

page_text: made. If pellets of other sizes are to be made by the same apparatus we remove
the ring by detaching the cover A³ and patting on another ring having perforations
of the size required.
D is a cylinder or roller mounted in bearing blocks D' which can slide in
bearings D and are held up by springs D³. A similar roller may be arranged on
the other side of the ring C for equalizing the pressure thereon.
E is a trough or vessel of any convenient size placed under the apparatus for
receiving the pellets.
The action is as follows: The water pressure being admitted by the pipe A'
to the cylinder A and the plastic mass from the kneading machine descending
between the rotating ring C and the roller D which latter is rotated by frictional
contact therewith the plastic mass fed between the two from above will enter the
holes of the ring C, and the contents of such holes will by the water pressure be
forced out of them and into the vessel E when any of such filled holes come under
the slot A in the bottom of the cylinder A. The action is thus continuous. The
water which also finds its way into the vessel quickly hardens the pellets. The
vessel has an overflow for the water.
The ring C and roller D may be provided with "doctors" for keeping them in a
clean condition.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is―
1. Apparatus for making grains or pellets of gunpowder consisting essentially of
a perforated surface to which the plastic mass from the kneading machine is
supplied so as to fill the perforations and water or other suitable fluid under
pressure applied so as to force the contents of such holes out in the form of grains
or pellets substantially as set forth.
2. An apparatus for making grains or pellets of gunpowder in a continuous
manner consisting essentially of a stationary cylinder with bottom slot, a perforated
ring rotated thereon, a roller rotated against such ring and water under pressure
admitted to the interior of the cylinder for the purpose stated substantially as
described and shewn.
Dated this 16th day of October 1891
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.