Manufacture of a New Explosive.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug. 1895-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1895
Manufacture of a New Explosive.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows .-
This invention relates to the manufacture of an explosive by mixing intimately
nitrate of ammonia with animal or vegetable fats.
Liquid fats, .e. fat oils, such as rape seed oil, cotton seed oil, linseed oil, and the
like, are particularly suited for this purpose because they easily penetrate the
whole mass, when they are incorporated with the nitrate; but fats, which at
ordinary temperatures are solid or almost solid, such as palm oil, lard and the like,
may also be used, because, if they are properly incorporated with the nitrate, they
become liquid without requiring heat, and then they also easily penetrate the
whole mass
One of these fats or a mixture of several kinds of fat or fat oils is mixed with
ten or twenty times its weight of nitrate of ammonia, but useful explosives may be
produced from other proportions of the component parts. The mixture is then
converted into an explosive by processes such as are usually employed in the
manufacture of gunpowder, that is to say, it is ground, mixed, tiiturated or
other wise incorporated, and if required compressed, granulated or otherwise
moulded and dried.
The incorporation is continued in one way or another until the ingredients, as in
the manufacture of gunpowder, are mixed in an extremely fine and uniform manner.
The choice of the fats, in particular the fat oils, to compound with nitrato of
ammonia, is founded on the idea, that these fat oils as vehicles of the carbon or as
combustible constituents of the explosive are suited when properly ignited to
produce complete decomposition, because they can bo mixed very intimately with
the nitrate to a homogeneous mass and because they are easily decomposed and
oxidized.
Moreover these fats, especially the fat oils, being liquid or easily liquefied
vehicles of the carbon, readily disperse, should a portion of the charge not explode,
so that the production of glowing sparks is avoided, a circumstance which is very
important when the explosive is used in mines charged with fire damp.
Finally this mixture of fat with nitrate of ammonia does not produce, even when
combustion is incomplete, any poisonous products of decomposition.
It will be seen that this new explosive forms, like gunpowder, a purely mechanical
mixture of substances, which by themselves are different.
If desired sulphur may be added to the explosive in various proportions up to
one twentieth part of the weight of the mixture.
Dated this 5th day of October 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: 1, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declaro the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
descubed and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of an explosive by mixing intimately
nitiate of ammonia with animal or vegetable fats.
Laquid fats, e fat oils, such as rape seed oil, cotton seed oil, linseed oil, and the
like, are particularly suited for this purpose because they easily penetrate the
whole mass, when they ate incorporated with the mitiate; but fats, which at
ordinary temperature are solid or almost solid, such as palm-oil, lard and the like,
may also be used, because, if they are properly incorporated with the mitrate, they
become liquid without requiring application of heat, and then they also easily
penetrate the whole mass.
These fats or fat oils, which may be classified as saponifying fats, are preferable
to many substances hitherto used for mechanical admixture with nitrate of ammonia
in the manufacture of safety explosives.
They may be used either in the raw state. that is to say, unboiled, or may be
previously boiled or treated with compressed air.
For the manufacture of the explosive a quantity of fat or fat oil or of a mixture
of some of them is added to twenty times its weight of nitrate of ammonia and this
composition is carefully comminuted and most intimately mixed by grinding,
trituration or otherwise until very fine subdivision of the compouent parts and
thorough incorporation of them with one another are attained
The pulverised composition is dried and sifted through a fine sieve, or it may
first be granulated as in the manufacture of gunpowder, then dried and sifted
through a fine sieve. Finally the explosive is packed in wrappers of water-
tight material which may be in the form of cartridges such as are employed
foi blasting.
The proportions of the ingredients may be somewhat varied, that is to say, the
nitiate of ammonia may be from ten to forty times the weight of the fat or fat oil.
Also sulphur may be added in quantity amounting to about one twentieth_part
of the mixture, the sulphur being thoroughly incorporated with the other ingredients
of the mixture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood
that no general claim is here made to the manufacture of an explosive consisting
of a mixture of nitrate of ammonia either with resin or paraffin, or mineral or
ethereal oils on products thereof, but I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described manufacture of an explosive by intimate mixture and
comminution of mtiate of ammonia with animal or vegetable fats oi fat oils and
either with or without sulphur.
2. The explosive manufactured as above set forth.
Dated 00th - of Tul, 1908