IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF EXPLOSIVE COM- POUNDS, AND IN MAKING UP CARTRIDGES OR CHARGES THEREWITH
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Fry Reeves at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd April
1867.
I, JOHN FRY REEVES, of 5, Cambridge Terrace, Notting Hill, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION OF EXPLOSIVE COM-
POUNDS, AND IN MAKING UP CARTRIDGES OR CHARGES THEREWITH," to be as
follows:-
It is well known that pyroxylin or gun cotton possesses many advantages
as an explosive agent, but the great rapidity of combustion of this substance,
which renders it dangerous in use, has prevented it from being adopted to any
great extent as a substitute for gunpowder. It has been attempted by
various mechanical means to retard this rapid combustion.
Now my Invention consists in an improved treatment of various organic
fibres of the cellulose kind, producing therefrom pyroxylin or gun cotton, or
analogous explosive substances of different degrees of rapidity of combustion,
and in the subsequent combination of these for use in proportions varying
according to the purposes to which they are to be applied, so as to effect the
desired retardation. My mode of treatment is applicable to many vegetable
fibres, but especially to cotton in various forms, such as yarn, waste cloth, or
woven fabrics, paper, paper stuff, or rags of various descriptions. A con-

page_text: venient quantity of the material, clean and in a dry state, is placed in an acid
bath, which has been previously prepared, of the following proportions, one
part nitric acid of at least 1.420 specific gravity to two parts by volume of sul-
phuric acid. The material is allowed to remain in this bath for a time
varying from 22 to 26 hours according to its thickness and proportionate
quantity; after which it is removed and well washed in running water until
tolerably free from acid. It may then be immersed in a weak alkaline
solution in order to neutralize any adherent acid; after which it is again
thoroughly washed, for which operation any suitable machinery may be
employed, when it is ready to be treated as will be herein-after described. On
the material being removed, as above, I add to the bath nitric acid in the
proportion of five per cent. of the quantity originally used, which is stirred up
and allowed to cool; after which a second lot of material is immersed in the
bath for a period varying from 32 to 60 hours, when it is removed and treated
as above described for the first lot. In some cases the addition of nitric acid
for this second lot may be dispensed with. I now add to the same bath nitric
acid in proportion varying from 15 to. 25 per cent. of the quantity originally
used; after which the mixture is stirred up and allowed to cool, when a third
lot of material is immersed in the bath for a period varying from two and
a half to four days, when it is taken out and washed, as above described.
The above proportions of acid are those I have found most beneficial, but
they may be more or less varied without greatly affecting the result. In
some cases a fourth and even a fifth lot may be obtained either with or
without a further addition of nitric acid from the same bath, but this will
depend partly upon the proportionate quantity of material which will have
been previously treated therein. By these means I obtain three or more
explosive agents of different degrees of rapidity of combustion. The first lot
out of the bath is, very quick in, combustion, the second is less: so, and the
third and fourth of considerably slower. These are well, washed, as, abore
described, during or after which they may be intermingled, rolled up, or
otherwise combined, to effect which operations any suitable machinery, may be
employed. Charges may thus be produced, composed of or containing two or
more explosive substances. of different degrees of rapidity of combustion, the
quantities and several proportions of which may be determined according to
the size and length of the barrel, the nature of the arm, weight of projectile
and other conditions, the result being a gradual and accumulative expansion
of gases in the barrel, whereby a high velocity is imparted to the projectile,
while a very moderate recoil and freedom from danger of bursting, the arm are
secured. These charges may be used alone, or in combination with other

page_text: explosive agents. Charges as above may be prepared for ordnance, small
arms of every kind, blasting, and other purposes where explosive or propellant
power is required. Cartridges or charges may also be prepared from two or
more qualities of gun cotton or fibre otherwise prepared.