Improvements in Explosive Compounds.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 2nd June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by Alfred Nobel, of 59, Avenue Malakoff, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Engineer.]
Improvements in Explosive Compounds.
I ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the Specification of the Patent No. 1471, dated 31st January 1888, I
described, as the invention of my correspondent, an explosive material of celluloidal
appearance and consistency, composed of nitrocellulose dissolved in nitroglycerine,
which it gelatinizes and consolidates into a horny mass, fit for being cut up into
strings or cubes, used as a substitute for gunpowder.
It is now proposed by my correspondent to make an explosive celluloidal
substance, wherein nitromannite, with or without the addition of substances
hereinafter mentioned, serves as a solvent of nitrocellulose. The advantage which
nitromannite possesses over nitroglycerine, for such purpose, consists in its being,
at the ordinary temperature, a solid substance, and therefore, not like nitro-
glycerine, subject to the possibility of exudation.
Nitromannite melts at a somewhat high temperature, and is therefore by itself a
somewhat inconvenient solvent for nitrocellulose. But it has been found that,
when mixed with substances such as di-nitrobenzol, or mononitronaphtaline or
di-nitronaphtaline, or di or trinitrotoluol, it easily incorporates nitrocellulose, when
heated in a water bath, and a celluloidal explosive is thus obtained, which is fit for
use as what is called smokeless powder.
It is found that 20 parts by weight ("parts" hereinafter.always means parts by
weight) of nitromannite and 20 parts of di-nitrobenzol, melted together in a water
bath, are easily incorporated with 60 parts of nitrocellulose, and a substance of
great consistency, and excellent ballistic qualities, is thus obtained. It is not
necessary that all the nitrocellulose contained therein should be dissolved, and it
suffices that such part of it be dissolved as to give the requisite consistency,
whereas the remaining part may be embedded, undissolved, in the plastic material
formed as herein described.
My correspondent does not propose to limit himself to the use of one particular
kind of nitrocellulose, but to employ all kinds of nitro compounds formed by
nitrating cellulose, and the modifications thereof known as oxycellulose and hydro-
cellulose. Only it should be understood, that so much of nitrocellulose must be
dissolved in the solvents herein described, as to give to those solvents the
consistency requisite for their practical application.
Instead of dinitrobenzol, as herein mentioned, any substance, nitrated or not,
capable of being incorporated with nitromannite and nitrocellulose, can be used,
but the relative quantity or percentage of such substance should be so regulated, as
to leave in the final product combustible and oxidising elements in proportions
which ensure smoke-free combustion. This is generally obtained when it contains
available (that is, loosely bound) oxygen in such proportion as will convert all the
carbon which it contains into carbonic oxide, and all, or at least a great part, of
its hydrogen into water vapour. Thus, naturally, a greater percentage of dinitro-
benzol than of mononitrobenzol, or of trinitrobenzol than of dinitrobenzol, or of
trinitrotoluol than of dinitrotoluol, is admissible, since the greater proportion of
oxygen which they contain serves partly to sustain their combustion.

page_text: The reason why there is incorporated with nitromannite, inert or semi-explosive
substances, as herein mentioned, is not only that the melting point of nitro-
mannite is thereby lowered, as already explained, but also that the high temperature
of the gas developed by exploding nitromannite, is lowered, such high temperature
being somewhat objectionable, on account of the erosions in firearms which it is
liable to produce.
The ingredients forming the aforesaid celluloidal explosive compound may be
varied in their proportions, so long as the requisite consistency practically needed,
and complete combustion with the absence of smoke, is secured. Thus, the
proportion of nitromannite can be much increased, and the proportion of nitro-
cellulose decreased, as compared with the proportions before named.
Nitromannite, as herein described, can be incorporated with nitroglycerine or
nitrosugar in any desirable proportions, and the mixed explosive thus obtained can
be incorporated with nitrocellulose in manner aforesaid.
Nitrostarch or nitrodextrine can be substituted for nitrocellulose for the purposes
herein described, but on account of the brittleness which the product thus obtained
has, at low temperature, it is necessary to preserve in such product, at least such
part of nitrocellulose, well dissolved, as to give the product the necessary
consistency, and prevent a brittleness unsuited for explosive application.
Wet nitrocellulose is very suitable for incorporating with the aforesaid solvents.
In carrying out the invention, it is found very convenient to first melt or mix
together, in a water bath, the aforesaid solvents, and then add, by immersion, say,
one fourth of their weight of nitrocellulose, very soluble therein. Thus, a very
thick jelly, or gum, is formed, wherewith it is easy to incorporate the remaining
proportions, as herein before described, of nitrocellulose. The mixed materials are
then laminated between steam or water heated rollers, and formed into sheets,
which may be cut up into so-called grains, or moulded or pressed into cords or
strings, or converted into any required form. By adding such volatile solvents as
acetone, or an acetate of amyle, ethyle or methyle, or analogous solvents, any
desired consistency may be given to the aforesaid celluloidal explosive, so as to
facilitate its moulding, which volatile solvent, after evaporation, leaves the
composition of the explosive unaltered.
The aforesaid explosive celluloidal material being plastic, permits of incor-
porating therewith, or kneading into it, any powdered explosive substance or
oxidiser, such as picrates, chlorates, perchlorates, or nitrates, substantially in the
same manner as described in the Patent No. 1471 above mentioned. The quantity
of the ingredients incorporated is limited, ou the one hand, by the consistency
needed for explosive application, which consistency is lessened by the powdered
inaterial incorporated; on the other hand, by the equilibrium between the com-
bustible and oxidising elements present, on which explosive combustion depends.
The aforesaid explosive material is used, like the explosive known as ballistite,
and described in the aforementioned Patent No. 1471.
Dated this 13th day of June 1893.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Explosive Compounds.
I ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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 :-
In the Specification of Letters Patent No. 1471, dated 31st January 1888, my

page_text: correspondent describes an explosive material composed of nitrocellulose dissolved
in nitroglycerine, and consolidated into a mass of celluloidal appearance.
The product hereinafter described is somewhat similar, as regards its physical
properties, to the aforesaid product, and in its application to military or other
uses, it does not very materially differ therefrom.
In carrying out the present invention, nitromannite enters into the composition
of the explosive, and gives it great stability; as, being solid at the ordinary
temperature, it cannot, as liquid explosives are apt to do, give rise to exudation.
The improved explosive is composed essentially of nitromannite and nitrocellulose,
but in some
cases combined with other ingredients in the manner hereinafter
described.
Nitromannite being a solid substance, does not appear at first sight to be a
suitable solvent for the cellulose, but by means of the treatment hereinafter
described, it is easily incorporated with nitrocellulose, wherewith it forms a
more or less plastic mass, much resembling, in aspect, the explosive known as
ballistite or cordite.
In carrying out the aforesaid incorporation of nitrocellulose with nitromannite,
said nitrocellulose may be used either dry or wet. The treatment, however, differs
somewhat in the two cases.
When using dry nitrocellulose, the nitromannite wherewith it has to be
incorporated should be dissolved in acetone, or other volatile solvent of nitro-
cellulose, which is also a solvent of nitromannite. The nitrocellulose is steeped in
the solution, or mixed therewith, after which operation the mass is subjected to
malaxation, or kneading, in any suitable mechanical kneading machine, such as
those in common use, and employed in the manufacture of cordite. How much
acetone or other suitable volatile solvent has to be added will depend on how far
the kneading machine employed prevents its volatilization during the operation.
The best rule is to secure thoroughly efficacious kneading, and to use acetone in such
proportion as to form a homogeneous plastic product. Such product is either
squeezed out or moulded into cords or strings, as now practised for cordite (which
has equivalent consistency), or reduced to sheets or plates by rollers gently heated
hy hot water circulation or otherwise, for the purpose of evaporating said acetone
or equivalent solvent used.
If to the aforesaid niti omannite is added one of the fixed nonvolatile solvents
hereinafter mentioned, as well as nitrocellulose and acetone, the operation is
essentially identical.
When wet nitrocellulose is employed, the operation must be modified, since
acetone in the presence of water loses, partly or wholly, its aforesaid dissolving
properties. In such case, the nitromannite which has to be incorporated, is either
mixed with a volatile solvent not miscible with water, such as nitrate of methyl,
acetate of methyl, ethyl or amyle, or other suitable solvent, in such quantity as to
permit of easy incorporation by what is known as the water method described in
Lundbolm & Sayers' Patent of 1889, No. 10376.
Or said nitromannite, with or without addition of the aforesaid volatile solvents,
may be mixed with fixed and non-volatile solvents hereinafter specified, and which,
for the purposes hereinafter mentioned, are intended to remain, and form component
parts of the final product.
In either of said cases, the incorporation by the aforesaid method should take
place at such temperature as would leave the aforesaid nitromaanite and solvent
in a liquid state to operate conjointly on the aforesaid wet nitrocellulose.
The product obtained by mixing wet nitrocellulose with nitromannite, plus a
solvent, is then subjected to the action of heated rollers, for the purpose of getting
rid of the adhering water, and of converting the final product into sheets.
But if found desirable, it can be mixed and incorporated with acetone or
equivalent solvent, so as to give it any degree of plasticity suited for moulding it
into cords or strings, after the fashion adopted for cordite manufacture.
acetone in such case is evaporated off.
The

page_text: The solvents to be used in conjunction with nitromannite, and designed to remain
and form part of the final product, can be greatly varied, and may be of an explosive,
semi-explosive, or inexplosive nature. Such solvents are nitrosugar, whereby is
meant the collective sugar group nitrated, the nitronaphthalenes, nitrotoluols, the
nitroxylols, the nitrocumols, the nitrocymenes, the acetic ethers of glycerine, and,
generally, all fixed and non-volatile solvents capable of incorporation with the
aforesaid substances, for the purposes herein described. But it will be understood
that when the purpose in view is to obtain a smokeless powder, the addition of
such solvent is limited, on the one hand, by the necessity of obtaining a final
product of due consistency; on the other hand, by the quantity of oxygen available
for combustion, such quantity being easily computed for each case by aid of well
known chemical formulæ; and thirdly by the tendency inherent in powders
containing too little available oxygen, to miss fire, or cause what is called " hang-
fire" in guns.
A good powder should contain oxygen enough to convert all its
carbon into carbonic acid or carbonic oxide, and all its hydrogen, or at least a
great portion thereof, into water vapour.
Seeing that the material herein described is of a plastic, nature, especially
when warmed or diluted with acetone or other volatile solvent, any substance
finely divided, explosive or inexplosive, solid or semi-liquid, can be incorporated
therewith by a process of kneading or malaxation, such as nitrostarch, nitrodextrine,
picrates, picric acid, nitrate of urea, or of ammonia, metallic nitrates and chlorates
or perchlorates, oxalates, charcoals, tannin, and others almost innumerable, but
subject, as regards proportions, to the limit heretofore explained.
By nitromannite is herein understood, not only the product obtained from
mannite, but also that which results from the nitration of commercial manna freed
from undissolved impurities.
By nitrocellulose is herein understood every kind of compound formed by
nitrating cellulose or hydrocellulose, or oxycellulose, or cellulose of whatsoever
kind, and mixtures of such nitro cellulose varieties with one another.
By solvents of nitrocellulose are herein understood substances which, when
liquefied by heat or solution, so act on nitrocellulose as to produce what is called
gelatinization.
The addition, as above described, of other solvents to nitromannite, generally
lowers its melting point, and favors its solubility for nitrocellulose. It also offers
the advantage of reducing the heat produced by the explosive combustion, which
heat, when excessive, is apt to cause erosion in guns.
The ingredients forming the aforesaid explosive compound can be greatly varied
in their relative proportions, so long as the requisite consistency practically needed
is preserved. If the explosive compound is to be used for propelling purposes,
then combustion without smoke and ready inflammability, are also, as already
explained, of importance.
If solid or semi-solid ingredients above mentioned are incorporated with the
aforesaid semi-horny material, then their amount is limited, on the one hand, by
the consistency needed for applied explosives; on the other hand, by the equilibrium
between the combustive and oxidising elements present, upon which explosive
combustion depends.
As types of explosives containing, in the final product, nitromannite and
mtrocellulose, as herein described, may be cited powders composed of :-

page_text: The explosive ingredients should be carefully neutralized, so as to prevent an
acid re-action. By dissolving and crystallizing previously well washed nitromannite,
that substance acquires great chemical stability.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The manufacture of explosive compounds by incorporating nitrocellulose or
hydronitrocellulose, or oxynitrocellulose, with nitromannite, alone or in combination
with other explosive, semi-explosive, or inert substances, substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.
2. The manufacture of explosive compounds by incorporating, as above described.
nitromannite with nitrated cellulose, hydrocellulose, or oxycellulose of any kind,
and a solvent intended to form a component part of the final product.
Dated this 12th day of Anril 1804
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.