IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNPOWDER, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hunt, of Ewell, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
GUNPOWDER, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hunt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th December 1872.
I, JAMES HUNT, of Ewell, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNPOWDER, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to or consists in improvements in the manu-
facture of gunpowder, and in the apparatus employed therein.
In the manufacture of gunpowder according to this Invention I use
(in connection with the process of grinding or mixing) such an amount

page_text: of water with the ingredients of which the powder is made as will render
accidental explosion impossible, and will also enable the mixture when
thus in a liquid or semi-liquid state to be run into moulds or through
sieves so as to make the grains or pellets into which the powder is to be
formed any shape and size required.
The apparatus used is (in a simple form) as follows:-I construct a
hollow trough by preference of oblong shape and rounded at the ends.
This trough has at about its centre a vertical partition running in the
direction of its length but not wholly across, thus leaving an open space
between the ends of the said partition and the ends of the trough. In
this trough the mixing of the ingredients takes place as herein-after
described. A horizontal shaft supported in suitable bearings is placed
transversely across the trough, and on this shaft is fixed a drum (con-
structed as herein-after described), in such a manner that it will revolve
on one side of the said partition and immersed to about one-third of its
depth in the liquid or semi-liquid contained in the trough, and formed
by the ingredients for the powder together with a certain quantity of
water, and with which the trough is filled to within four or six inches of
the top. The said drum which is solid is provided on its periphery with
any desired number of bars fixed thereon, either in a line with its axis or
This
at an angle thereto, and either of angular or curved outer surface.
drum works against a block underneath it which has a curved surface,
and commences at about the vertical centre line of the drum and follows
the curve thereof upwards until it reaches a height corresponding with
the level of the liquid in the trough, from which point it again comes
downwards towards the bottom of the trough, thus forming a bridge at
the back of the drum. The curved surface thus provided underneath
the drum fits close to it at its lowest part, but leaves the drum gradually
towards its upper end, where a space of an inch or more is thus formed
between it and the drum. The lower part of this curved surface or that
portion of it fitting close to the drum is provided with bars corresponding
to those on the drum, so that as the drum revolves the bars thereon
work close against those on the said curved surface underneath, thus
effecting a sort of cutting or grinding action.

page_text: sufficient water is then added to convert the whole into a liquid or semi-
liquid state. The drum is then caused to revolve rapidly by any
suitable means, thereby carrying the liquid in between it and the said
curved surface up which the liquid is carried and thrown over the bridge
formed by the top of the said curved surface and falling down the other
side thereof is carried round the partition in the middle of the trough,
and thus to the front of the drum, where it is again acted on in the
manner described, and this action is continued until the whole has been
well mixed.
When the mixing has been fully accomplished the whole is run off
into suitable moulds to be dried or pressed, or granulated, as required.
During the process of grinding or mixing the ingredients may be kept
either in a cold or heated state, and when heat is required this may be
conveniently obtained by surrounding the said trough with a steam
jacket, by which means the excess of moisture may be gradually evapo-
rated as the process of grinding or mixing is carried on.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HUNT, of Ewell, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send. greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
.Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said James Hunt, Her special
license that I, the said James Hunt, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Hunt, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the.

page_text: "
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNPOWDER, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Hunt, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hunt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say) :—
This Invention relates to or consists in improvements in the manu-
facture of gunpowder, and in the apparatus employed therein.
In the manufacture of gunpowder according to this Invention I use
(in connection with the process of grinding or mixing) such amount
of water with the ingredients of which the powder is to be made as will
render accidental explosion impossible during such process of grinding
or mixing, and will also enable the mixture thus in a liquid or semi-
liquid state to be run or pressed into moulds or through sieves, so as at
once to make the grains or pellets into which the powder is to be
formed any shape and size required.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the same with the
aid of the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters
and figures marked thereon, and in which Figure 1 is a plan of my new
or improved apparatus; Figure 2, an elevation with a portion of the
front broken away in order to shew some interior parts more clearly,
and Figure 3, a plan of part of the apparatus. In each Figure the same
letter of reference wherever it occurs indicates like or corresponding
parts.
The mixing of the ingredients takes place in a hollow trough A,
constructed by preference a little longer than wide and rounded at the

page_text: running in the direction of the length of the trough, but not wholly
across, thus leaving a space between its ends and the ends of the trough.
A horizontal shaft C supported in suitable bearings D is placed trans-
versely across the trough, and on this shaft is fixed a drum E
(constructed as herein-after described) in such manner that it will
revolve on one side of the said partition, and immersed to about one
third (more or less) of its diameter in or amongst the ingredients
contained in the trough. The said drum is constructed solid, and is
provided on its periphery with any desired number of bars e fixed
thercon, either in a line with its axis or at an angle thereto, and of
either angular or curved outer surface. In the Drawings these bars
are shewn of angular outer surface, and are fixed on the drum at an
angle to its axis. This drum works against a block F underneath it,
which has a curved upper surface commencing underneath the drum
and extending upwards behind the same until it reaches a height
corresponding with the level of the ingredients in the trough, from
which point it again descends towards the bottom of the trough, thus
forming a bridge at the back of the drum. The front of the said block
slopes gradually towards the bottom of the trough. The curved surface
thus provided underneath the drum fits close to it at its lowest part
but leaves the drum gradually towards its upper end, where a space
of an inch or more is thus formed between it and the drum. The lower
part of this curved surface or that portion of it fitting closest to the
drum is provided with bars f corresponding to those on the drum and
fixed at an opposite angle thereto, so as to cross the same.
These are
shewn clearly in Figure 3. Thus as the drum revolves the bars thereon
work close against those on the said curved surface underneath, so as
to effect a cutting or grinding action. The bearings D of the said
drum are constructed in the levers G, which are centered at one end
on the pins H,. their other ends being attached to vertical screws I which
pass through bearings J, and have screwed on to their upper ends
pinions K. These pinions have gearing into them worms L, by which
they may be actuated to raise or lower the screws I, and consequently
the levers G, and at the same time the drum; thus enabling it to be
set to the block F, as required.

page_text: sufficient water is then added to convert the whole into a liquid or
semi-liquid state, a little thicker in consistency than cream. The drum
is then caused to revolve rapidly by any suitable means in the direction
indicated by the arrow marked thereon. The drum thus in motion
carries the liquid or semi-liquid in between it and the said curved surface
up which the liquid is carried, and thrown over the bridge formed at the
back by the top of the said block, and falling down the other side
thereof is carried round the partition in the middle of the trough to
the front of the drum, where it is again acted on in the manner
described, and this action is continued until the whole has been well
mixed or incorporated.
When the incorporating has thus been fully accomplished the mixture
is conveyed away by an outlet M or other suitable means, and put into
suitable moulds or sieves to be dried or pressed, or granulated, as
required. By this means, any size and form desired to be imparted to
the pellets or grains may thus be given to them at once.
During the process of grinding or mixing the ingredients, they may
be kept in either a cold. or heated state, and when heat is required I
surround the said trough with a steam jacket N, the steam being
admitted thereto and exhausted therefrom by the pipes N¹ and N°
respectively. By this means any excess of moisture imparted to the
ingredients may be gradually evaporated as the process of grinding or
mixing is carried on, but this should never be done to such an extent as
to prevent the mixture being acted on as described by the revolving of
the drum, nor to render it explosive.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to or may be
performed, I claim as my Invention to be secured by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent,-
First. Using in connection with the process of grinding or mixing the
ingredients of which gunpowder is made, sufficient moisture to render
accidental explosion impossible during such process of grinding or
mixing, and also to enable such mixture thus in a liquid or semi-liquid
state to be run or pressed into moulds or through sieves, so as thus at
once to give the pellets or grains into which the powder is to be formed
any shape and size required.

page_text: Second. The apparatus for grinding or mixing together the said
ingredients, substantially as herein-before set forth and described, and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hunt, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
JAMES HUNT. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOHN W. GRAY, O.E.,
Offices for Patenting & Introducing Inventions,
16, Southampton Buildings,
W.O.