Improved Manufacture of Explosives.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1899
Improved Manufacture of Explosives.
I, FRIEDRICH JOHANNES WILLIAM LINDEMAN, of Maliebaan, 79, Utrecht, Hol-
land, Manufacturer, of Fireworks, 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 modern explosives one of the most important substances is nitro-
glycerine. In order to lessen the great sensitiveness to shocks or concussion, and
to avoid the destructive effects of explosion, and to provide the material with
the necessary plasticity for shaping it into cartridges and the like, the nitro-
glycerine is mixed with an inactive substance or substances. Nobel, for instance,
employs for his fossil meal dynamite (kieselguhr-dynamit) a mixture of three
parts of nitroglycerine and one part of fossil meal. By the admixture of such
or similar non-combustible substances the effectiveness of the explosive is greatly
interfered with, it loses its instantaneous action, i.e. the decomposition of the
substance into the resulting gases, (carbonic acid gas, nitrogen, oxygen and steam)
is materially retarded.
For many purposes, in which great importance is laid on the exact instantaneous
action of the material and on the most rapid decomposition of the explosive, and
consequently on the highest possible pressure being produced by the gases resulting
from the explosion, such dynamite is useless.
If however, it is possible to replace the inactive fossil meal by some active
substance, that can be used for the absorption of the nitroglycerine, which active
substance is itself possessed of explosive properties, provided that the sensitiveness
of the nitroglycerine, as regards shocks or concussion, is reduced by such absorp-
tion, the object desired will be perfectly attained.
Indeed, explosive experiments and works have been undertaken with more or
less success to attain the object in this direction, and a number of substances to
be used for the absorption of the nitroglycerine such as saltpetre, chromate of
potassium, ammonium-saltpetre and the like, have been proposed.
Chlorate of potassium which until the present day has not been used for that
purpose, has proved itself to be a very suitable material, especially when employed
in a very small crystalline form.
In this desired form the chlorate of potassium is easily obtainable, by con-
tinually disturbing or keeping in motion the solution from which the salt is
obtained, by means of crystallization for instance, constant stirring and blowing
through of air will effectually prevent the formation of large crystals. The crystal
meal thus obtained has great power, after having been perfectly dried in the air,
of absorbing the nitroglycerine, and thus reducing its dangerous sensitiveness to
shock and concussion to a minimum. In the employment of chlorate of potassium
as an absorbent for the nitroglycerine, great importance is placed on the fact
that chlorate of potassium on decomposition, as soon as such decomposition starts,
evolves very large quantities of oxygen. This circumstance, in connection with
the fact that the nitroglycerine will also produce oxygen, as a result of decom-
position, renders it possible to add to an explosive substance composed of these

page_text: two components, without interfering with its explosive powers, other substances
which in consequence of their combustion in the presence of sufficient oxygen,
offer also a certain explosive power. For this purpose the nitro derivatives of
benzol, nitro-benzols, and all the isomer dinitro-benzols, are especially serviceable.
At the moment of explosion the evolved oxygen of both the nitroglycerine and
the chlorate of potassium will unite with the carbon of the nitro-benzols-which
are very rich in carbon-thus producing a very powerful evolution of gas (car-
bonic acid gas).
During such combustion heat is produced in consequence of which the evolved
gases will produce a still higher pressure. By a well regulated addition of benzol
to the mixture of nitroglycerine with the chlorate of potassium and nitro-benzol
it is possible to exactly regulate the quantities of oxygen evolved, and of the com-
bustible carbon, in such a manner that there should be sufficient oxygen for the
combustion of the carbon. The addition of benzol is only made when the quantity
of nitro benzol employed is insufficient; less benzol being added the more nitro-
benzol enters the combination.
From the above remarks the great value of the explosive substance will be
easily understood.
The production of the explosive material is carried out in the following
manner:-
In vessels, and under the observance of the usual precautions, a mixture of
nitro-glycerine, nitro-benzol, or dinitro-benzol or their mixtures,--with or without
the addition of benzol according to requirements-is caused to be absorbed by
chlorate of potassium in a small crystalline state. The paste thus obtained is
then shaped and treated in the manner usual in dynamite manufactories.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
A process for the production of an explosive substance, consisting in causing
nitroglycerine to be absorbed in the required proportions, by chlorate of potassium,
with the addition of nitro-benzol or dinitro-benzol or of their mixtures, or of
their solution in benzol, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of June 1899.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.