A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF DYNAMITE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Brierley, of Halifax, in the County of York, and
Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent, for an Invention of
"A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF DYNAMITE." A communication from
abroad by Jacob Engels, of Kalk, near Cologne on the Rhine, Rhenish Prussia,
Empire of Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Brierley at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th January 1880.
WALTER BRIERLEY, of Halifax, in the County of York, and Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster, Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE of
DYNAMITE." A communication from abroad by Jacob Engels, of Kalk, near
Cologne on the Rhine, Rhenish Prussia, Empire of Germany.
The object of this Invention is a new and improved compound to be used in
preparing an explosive matter or dynamite of high blasting and expanding qualities,
which, when exploded, is totally transformed into gases, leaving no residuum, and
producing a dynamite which detonates with certainty and within the lowest
temperature, with or without the aid of a percussion cap, and without developing
gases dangerous to health.
My new and improved explosive matter is a compound of,―
18 to 20 parts of piroxylin,
55 44 parts of nitroglycerine,
5
20
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10 parts of pyropaper,
16 parts of nitro amylum,
1 part of nitro manit,
1 part of soluble silicate of potash,
which different parts prepared free of acids and carefully mixed are put into a
cartridge press, the crease of which is provided with a needle, by which means a
hole in the centre of the cartridge is produced to receive the quick match. Having
performed this manipulation the cartridge is closed air-tight by means of a cover
of collodium, and put up in the same manner as the explosive matters named
lithofractor resp dynamite.
Directly before the use of the cartridge the collodium cover is punched at the
place of the match hole and a quick-match is entered therein, consisting of gun
cotton of best quality impregnated with chlorate of potash and ferrocyanur of lead,
and which is prevented from escaping out of the lower end of the hole by means
of a knot at its one end, and provided on its upper end with a fusee.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Walter Brierley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th July
1880.
WALTER BRIERLEY, of Halifax, in the County of York, and of Blackburn, in the
County of Lancaster, Patent Agent. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF
DYNAMITE." A communication from abroad by Jacob Engels, of Kalk, near
Cologne-on-the-Rhine, Rhenish Prussia, Empire of Germany.
The object of this my Invention is a new and improved compound to be used in
preparing an explosive matter or dynamite of high blasting and expanding qualities,
which, when exploded, is totally transformed into gases, leaving no residuum, and
producing a dynamite which detonates with certainty and within the lowest
temperature, with or without the aid of a percussion cap, and without developing
gases dangerous to health.
cover of
The "Atlas Dynamite," as I name my new and improved explosive matter, is a
compound of 18 to 20 parts of piroxylin, 55 to 44 parts of nitro-glycerine, 5 to 10
parts of pyro-paper, 20 to 16 parts of nitro-anylium, 1 to 1 part of nitro-manit,
and 1 to 1 part of soluble silicate of potash, which different parts prepared
free of acids and carefully mixed are put into a cartridge press, the crease
of which is provided with a needle, by which means a hole in the centre
of the cartridge is produced to receive the quick match. Having performed
this manipulation the cartridge is closed air-tight by means of a
collodium, and put up in the same manner as the explosive matters named
lithofractor resp dynamite." Directly before the use of the cartridge the collodium
cover is punctured at the place of the match hole, and a quick-match is entered
therein, consisting of gun-cotton of best quality impregnated with chlorate of
potash and ferrocyanur of lead, and which is prevented from escaping out of the
lower end of the hole by means of a knob at its one end, and provided on its upper
end with a fusee.
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Such being the nature and object of this my said Invention, I will now proceed
to describe same in detail.
The object of this Invention is the peculiar composition of an explosive compound
of high blasting, expanding, and lifting qualities. This new explosive compound is
in consequence of its detonation totally transformed into gases, without leaving any
residium, and by this way the problem is redeemed to produce a dynamite which
detonates with certainty and within the lowest temperature (the thawing of the
dynamite, so dangerous for the working men, becomes by this method unnecessary)
with or without the aid of a detonating copper cap and without developing gases
detrimental to health.
In the case when explosion is to be effected without employing a detonating cap
a peculiarly prepared safety match is to be used, and which match is hereinafter
described. The improved explosive compound is a composition of,—
18 to 20 parts of pyroxyline,
55 to 44 parts of nitro-glycerine,
10 parts of pyro-paper,
20 to 16 parts of nitro amylum,
1 to 1 part of nitromanit,
1 to 1 part of soluble silicate of potash.
These constituent parts are prepared free from acids, and being carefully mixed
together the compound is put into the cartridge press for the purpose of being formed
into cartridges.
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page_text: A
employing the cartridges the collodium cover is punched or punctured opposite the
hole by a slight pressure and the match is put into the hole. To avoid the escape
of the match from out of this hole the lower end of the same is provided with a
knob, whilst the upper end is provided or combined with a Birkford-fusee.
specially prepared safety-match to be used in cases where the explosion is to be
effected without a detonating cap consists of soft gun-cotton impregnated with
chlorate of potassium and ferrocyanur of lead. It will be understood that any
ordinary match is sufficient to effect the explosion if a detonating cap is used for this
purpose. The above described composition of dynamite also may be modified in the
following manner :-
The pyroxylin may be substituted by every other species of nitrated cellulose, and
especially by a species the preparing of which is described in the following. This
peculiar species of nitrated cellulose is prepared as follows:-Straw, ligneous fibres,
and cotton; of the latter only about 5 to 10% of this compound are subjected to the
influence of diluted sulphuric acid. The substance resulting from this operation is
dried in the atmosphere or by means of drying apparatus, and afterwards nitrated,
that is to say, it is subjected to the influence of concentrated nitric acid and concen-
trated sulphuric acid, and afterwards subjected to the same process of abstracting
acid which is employed for the purpose of purifying or cleaning pyroxylin.
Nitrated cellulose obtained in this manner has the same quality of absorbing the
nitro-glycerine as it has the pyroxylin, and is advantageously used as a constituent
of the improved dynamite instead of pyroxylin for the following reasons:-1, it is
much cheaper than pyroxylin; 2, it is possible to be completely exempted from acid,
a fact which is impossible to obtain with the pyroxylin, and of course it is not
subjected to self decomposition, even in the highest summer temperature. The
danger of decomposition of the pyroxylin by the influence of the summer temperature
enters very easily, and is caused by the presence of molecules of acid within the
capillaries of the cotton fibre.
It is evident that the pyroxylin relatively to the nitrated cellulose is not the only
absorbing constituent contained in the improved dynamite, but that all solid con-
stituents of this new explosive compound partake in the absorption of the nitro-
glycerine, and the proportions and assemblage of all solid and fluid constituents is
such like choosen as to hold the new dynamite, not only as much as possible free
from indifferent (inexplosive) substances, but also to make plastic nearly exclusively
by means of explosive substances.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of this Invention, together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would have it understood that I claim,―
The use in the manufacture of dynamite of the combination of ingredients herein
described, or any mere modification of such combination.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Brierley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
JOSEPH STEAD,
19, Manor Street,
Halifax.
WALTER BRIERLEY. (L.S.)