Improvements in or relating to Explosives.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Explosives.
We, WILLIAM GREAVES, Chemist, and EDMUND MILLS HANN Civil Engineer,
both of Aberaman, near Aberdare, County of Glamorgan, Wales, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to obviate as far as possible the danger attending
the use of ordinary dynamite and other explosives of the nitroglycerine class such
as gellignite and gelatine dynamite and also gunpowder and explosives of that
class for blasting in fiery and dusty coal mines and for other purposes; and also to
render those niti oglycerine explosives which are called "flameless" still safer an
better adapted for use.
Our invention as applied to the nitroglycerine class of explosives consists in
adding a suitable quantity of borax or boracic acid either separately or mixel with
a suitable quantity of one or more of the following;-Oxalic acid, ammonium
oxalate, sodium oxalate, potassium oxalate or the double oxalates all of which may
be used either in the hydrated or dehydrated condition. Also the alums such as
potash alum, soda alum, ammonia alum, chrome alum or iron alum and aluminium
sulphate added to the nitroglycerine explosive will form a safety and flameless
explosive.
For instance in applying this to dynamite we add 25% by weight of borax or
boracic acid and we find it makes a safe explosive which will not fire coal-lust.
Where it is of importance to avoid an acid smoke we substitute 5% of one of the
oxalates, preferably ammonium oxalate, for a like percentage of borax or boracie
acid.
The higher the proportion of the salt or salts the greater the degree of safety
but the weaker the explosive effect.
The above salts may be added at any convenient stage of the mixing processes.
In applying our invention to gunpowder and explosives of that class we add to
the gunpowder a suitable quantity of one or more of the following salts ;-Borax
or boracic acid, the above named alums, citric acid or one or more of the oxalates
such as ammonium oxalate, sodium oxalate, potassium oxalate or the double oxalates
either in the hydrated or dehydrated condition.
We have found that 15% of one of the above mentioned substances or a
mixture of two or more added to the gunpowder produces a safe explosive which
when detonated will not fire coal dust, but it will be understood that we do not
confine ourselves to the exact proportion of the salt employed.
If necessary the powder may be dried artificially
In manufacturing our explosive from gunpowder these ingredients may be addei
at any convenient stage of the mixing processes, but we prefer to add it as early
as possible for the following reason, that whilst this mixture when confined and
detonated gives effects similar to ordinary gunpowder yet when burnt in the open
air it burns at a similar rate to damp powder and the safety of the process of
manufacture is thereby increased.
Dated this 30th day of March 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Explosives.
We, WILLIAM GREAVES, Chemist, and EDMUND MILLS HANN Civil Engineer,
both of Aberaman, near Aberdare, County of Glamorgan, Wales, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to obviate as far as possible the danger attending
the use of ordinary dynamite and other explosives of the nitroglycerine class such
as gelignite carbonite and gelatine dynamite and also gunpowder and explosives
of that class for blasting in fiery and dusty coal mines and for other purposes; and
also to render those nitroglycerine explosives which are called "flameless still
safer and better adapted for use.
"
Our invention as applied to the nitroglycerine class of explosives consists in
adding a suitable quantity of borax or boracic acid either separately or mixed
with a suitable quantity of one or more of the following:-Oxalic acid, ammonium
oxalate, sodium oxalate, potassium oxalate or the double oxalates all of which may
be used either in the hydrated or dehydrated condition.
For instance in applying this to dynamite we add 25% by weight of borax or
boracic acid and we find it makes a safe explosive which will not fire coal-dust.
Where it is of importance to avoid an acid smoke we substitute 5% of one of the
oxalates, preferably ammonium oxalate, for a like percentage of borax or boracic
acid.
In applying our invention to carbonite we take 92.5% of carbonite as ordinarily
made and 75% of the finely powdered borax. These are thoroughly mixed
together and produces an explosive less violent than ordinary carbonite and thus
better adapted for use in coal blasting and safer, for whereas, we have succeeded
in firing coal dust with ordinary carbonite yet when we have added the borax we
have found it impossible to do so; besides ordinary carbonite gives off noxious
fumes which render it very objectionable in places which are not well ventilated.
By our treatment these are neutralized.
When we add the borax to blasting gelatine it may he introduced immediately
after the complete solution of the nitroglyceriue and collodion cotton or nitro-
cellulose and then after all the compounds are thoroughly mixed the explosive
may be allowed to cool and be worked up into cartridges in the ordinary way.
We find that 25% to 30% borax added to this explosive makes a safe blasting
compound according to the work for which it is required.
In the case of gelignite or gelatine dynamite we fiud that from 20-30% of
borax added makes a workable explosive for ordinary coal. In this case the borax
may be added to the "absorbent powder" and then the nitroglycerine introduced
in the ordinary way and worked up into its commercial form by the usual methods.
Ordinary dynamite, gelignite, carbonite and explosives of the same class as at
present made are too rapid in their explosion and thus destroy the coal but by
treating them according to our processes we obtain an explosive which does not
shatter the coal so much but at the same time its effects spread over a wider area
and thus in reality does more work.
The higher the proportion of the salt or salts the greater the degree of safety,
but the weaker the explosive effect; this being so the above percentages of the
diluting salts may be altered according to the requirements of the conditions under
which the explosive has to be used.
The above salts may be added at any convenient stage of the mixing processes.

page_text: In applying our invention to gunpowder and explosives of that class, that is of
powders which are similar in their action or composition to gunpowder, we add to
the gunpowder a suitable quantity of borax or boracic acid.
We have found that 15% of the above mentioned substances added to the
gunpowder produces a safe explosive which when detonated will not fire coal dust,
but it will be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact proportion
of the salt employed.
If necessary the powder may be dried artificially.
In manufacturing our explosive from gunpowder these ingredients may be added
at any convenient stage of the mixing processes, but we prefer to add it as early
as possible for the following reasou-that whilst this mixture when confined and
detonated gives effects similar to ordinary gunpowder yet when burnt in the open
air it burns at a similar rate to damp powder and the safety of the process of
manufacture is thereby increased.
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. A safety and flameless explosive formed by the addition of borax or boracic
acid to an explosive of the nitro-glycerine class.
2. A safety and flameless explosive formed by the addition of borax or boracic
acid to an explosive of the gunpowder class.
3. A safety or flameless explosive of the nitro-glycerine class consisting in the
addition to the explosive of borax or boracic acid with a small percentage of one
of the oxalates preferably ammonium oxalate to prevent acid smoke.
Dated this 28th day of December 1896.
WILLIAM GREAVES.
EDMUND MILLS HANN.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.