Improvements in Smokeless Explosives.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left. 6th May, 1889-Accepted, 5th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Smokeless Explosives.
I JAMES ALFRED WANKLYN of 7 Westminster Chambers in the County of
Middlesex Professor of Chemistry do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of an explosive substance or Gunpowder
that shall be smokeless and shall not be liable to foul or leave any deposit in the gun.
out of which it is fired. For this purpose I use gun-cotton or any known nitro-
cellulose or solid explosive nitro-compound in finely pulverised form and mix it
intimately with about half its weight of dry nitrate of urea-The mixture may be
used without further preparation or may be granulated by well known means.
This
is fired by cap or other detonator-The Nitrate of Urea may be prepared artificially
by Wöhler's process or from urine.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Smokeless Explosives.
1, JAMES ALFRED WANKLYN of 7 Westminster Chambers in the County of
Middlesex, Professor of Chemistry, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in explosive compounds and has for its
object to produce an explosive which is practically smokeless, does not leave any or
any appreciable deposit after firing and is not liable or susceptible to alteration by
climatic influence.
For this purpose I employ Gun-cotton or any other known Nitro-cellulose or solid
or semi-solid explosive Nitro-compound such as Dynamite in finely pulverized or
divided form and mix it intimately with dry Nitrate of Urea in suitable proportions.
The following is an example of proportions that have been found to answer well in
practice.
Dry Nitrate of Urea
Gun-cotton or other Nitro-cellulose
1 part by weight.
explosive nitro-compound such for 2 to 5 parts by weight.
example as Dynamite
The foregoing proportions must necessarily be varied according to the nature of
the nitre-compound employed and the purpose for which the complete explosive
compound is intended to be used.
The nature of the nitro-compound employed will determine the character of the
explosive force of the explosive compound and the proportion thereof to the Nitrate
of Urea must be regulated accordingly.
For example a much smaller proportion of Dynamite than of Gun-cotton to a
given quantity of Nitrate of Urea would be needed to obtain a given result.
By itself Nitrate of Urea is difficult to explode but when ignited it is wholly
resolved into gases about one third part of which is Nitrogen gas and the admixture
therewith of a very small proportion of nitro-compound such as Nitro-glycerine which
may be conveniently incorporated in the form of Dynamite bas the effect of so
increasing the rapidity of the decomposition of the Nitrate of Urea as to render it a
powerful explosive.
J

page_text: The admixture of the Nitrate of Urea with the nitro-organic compounds has the
effect of preserving them from deleterious chemical change the result of climatic
influence or long keeping.
The explosive compound, which must be fired by means of a cap or detonator, may
be used without any further preparation or it may be granulated in the manner well
understood.
The Nitrate of Urea may be prepared artificially by any well known process such
as Wöhlers process or it may be prepared from urine.
I would here remark that I do not confine myself to the proportions of the
ingredients herein before set forth as the same are given merely as an example and it
will be evident that they may be varied without departing from the nature of my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,
The improvements in explosive compounds herein before described consisting in the
admixture with Gun-cotton, Dynamite or other suitable nitro-compound, of Nitrate of
Urea.
ated y
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.