Improvements in or relating to Projectiles and the use of High Explosives therein.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Projectiles and the use of High
Explosives therein.
I, HARRY ALLEN, of Morley's Hotel, Trafalgar Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In my investigations upon the subject of improvements made in the use of high
explosives for bursting shells fired from a powder gun I have found that the
attention of inventors and the direction of their experiments have been almost
invariably confined to that class of explosives which consist of a greater or less
proportion of nitro-glycerine or a like dangerous compound and that little or no
attention has been given to a different class of high explosives, which while in
themselves perfectly harmless, are yet susceptible of a destructive force of the
highest range when properly applied to the purposes mentioned.
Consequently great skill has been displayed in inventions to prevent the shock of
the discharge from setting off such high explosives and so bursting the gun, by various
devices such as rubber cushions, air cushions and the like. I find that while in
some cases the methods employed have been successful yet the results obtained could
not be relied upon with any degree of certainty. Having this in view and also the
important fact that the high explosives so employed are of a character extremely
dangerous in using handling storing and transporting, I have sought to utilize a
class of high explosives, which, while perfectly safe, are capable of the highest
destructive force whether used by themselves or, with a detonator and capable of
being discharged with perfect safety from a powder gun by a charge of gunpowder.
Another object was the safety of a magazine containing the explosive, whether
on shipboard or on land, since it could not be exploded by a powder shell bursting
in the magazine.
I have found that an explosive composed of about 90% of nitrate of ammonia
and 10% of mono-nitro-naphthaline may safely be used in a shell and fired from a
gun by means of gunpowder.
Other.explosives of the same class (nitro-derivatives consisting of an oxydizing
agent such as a nitrate, and a hydrocarbon) varying in the proportions of the
ingredients the mode of manufacture and the destructive force may also be employed
by me. The explosive may be employed in any of the following ways,
1st. The explosive alone in shell without a detonator and depending solely upon
the force of impact for the explosion.
2nd. The explosive in combination with gunpowder in the shell.
3rd. The explosive with a fulminate of mercury detonator.
4th. The explosive loose or compressed in the shell.
I employ special means for holding fulminate of mercury in safety against shock
whether in combination with a percussion or time fuse, or without any fuse.
A fulminate of mercury detonator may be used without a fuse in combination
with the explosive.
My experiments show that
Nitrate of ammonia alone can be fired in a shell from a gun with a charge of
gunpowder and exploded upon impact.
Nitrate of ammonia with the combination of naphthaline can be fired in a shell
from a gun with a charge of gunpowder and exploded upon impact.
A mixture of 90% nitrate of ammonia and 10% mono-nitro-naphthaline can be
fired in a shell from a gun with a charge of gunpowder and exploded upon impact.
In all these cases I may put a greater or lesser pressure on the explosive used.

page_text: .
Each of the foregoing can be fired in a shell from a gun with a charge of
gunpowder the shell containing a detonator of fulminate of mercury.
My experiments show a safe and useful method by means of which fulminate
of mercury can be safely utilized to determine the explosion of a bursting charge of
high explosive fired from a powder gun. This method requires the employment of
an attachment or cylinder made of any kind of metal or other suitable material
firmly fastened either at the front, or rear of the shell or otherwise, and in this
attachment or cylinder the fulminate of mercury detonator is firmly held in place
being first covered with indiarubber preferably but with any substance that will
ensure elasticity and freedom from jar. This attachment or cylinder containing
the detonator may be used with or without any fuse. It is made preferably open
at one end and when a fuse is required the open end of the cylinder is fastened by
means of a screw or otherwise to bottom of the fuse.
It may
be used with any fuse
suitable for igniting gunpowder.
At the closed end of the cylinder there may be loosely placed some of the high
explosive which shall preferably be in immediate contact with the fulminate of
mercury detonator. The whole or any portion of the bursting charge may be in the
form of powder or solid.
I can use this shell with a fulminate detonator merely laid loose in the explosive,
but on account of the danger of explosion before the proper time 1 do not attach
commercial value to this construction.
It will be understood that all the details requisite for carrying out this invention
cannot be set forth in this Provisional Specification, these are reserved for their
proper place in the Complete Specification. Modifications in the parts described
may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention.
Dated this 14th day of July 1892
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Projectiles and the use of High
Explosives therein.
1, HARRY ALLEN, of Morley's Hotel, Trafalgar Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, 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 my investigations upon the subject of improvements made in the use of high
explosives for bursting shells fired from a powder gun I have found that the
attention of inventors and the direction of their experiments have been almost
invariably confined to that class of explosives which consist of a greater or less
proportion of nitro-glycerine or a like dangerous compound and that little or no
attention has been given to a different class of high explosives, which while in
themselves perfectly harmless, are yet susceptible of a destructive force of the
highest range when properly applied to the purposes mentioned.
Consequently great skill has been displayed in inventions to prevent the shock of
the discharge from setting off such high explosives and so bursting the gun, by
various devices such as rubber cushions, air cushions and the like. I find that while
in some cases the methods employed have been successful yet the results obtained
could not be relied upon with any degree of certainty. Having this in view and
also the important fact that the high explosives so employed are of a character
extremely dangerous in using, handling, storing and transporting, I have sought to
utilize a class of high explosives, which, while perfectly safe, are capable of the
highest destructive force whether used by themselves or with a detonator and
capable of being discharged with perfect safety from a gun by a charge of
gunpowder.
Another object was the safety of a magazine containing the explosive, whether

page_text: on shipboard or on land, since it could not be exploded by a powder-shell bursting
in the magazine.
As an instance of an explosive capable of being thus used I have found that an
explosive composed of nitrate of ammonia and mono-nitro-naphthaline may safely
be used in a shell and fired from a gun by means of gunpowder.
I may employ other explosives of the same class such as roburite, securite,
bellite and the like (generally known as nitro-derivatives and consisting of an
oxidizing agent such as a nitrate and a hydrocarbon) varying in the proportions of
the ingredients, the mode of manufacture, and the destructive force such explosions
being generically known as "Sprengel explosives."
The explosive may be employed alone in the shell without a detonator so that it
is the force of impact only which finally brings about the explosion and may be
loose or compressed in the shell. Or it may be used with a fulminate of mercury or
other powerful detonator.
For the first of these methods the shell of ordinary construction is filled with the
above mentioned explosive and closed without any fuse being inserted. When fired
it depends for its explosion solely upon the force of the impact when it strikes an
object of resistance. It has been discovered by me that although firing off a charge
of powder in the explosive, subjecting it to heat and to concussion by a heavy weight
falling from a great height, discharging other forms of high explosive in it, have all
failed to discharge it, a shell charged with this explosive without any detonator
will explode upon striking a body of resistance. This unexpected and peculiar
result may be due to the fact that the explosive is rendered more sensitive by the
shock occasioned by the discharge of the projectile from the gun by the explosion
of the gunpowder or the like in the first instance or by the rapid movement imparted
to the shell; or it may be due solely to the greatly increased force of the blow due
to the speed at which the shell strikes the object or it may be caused by a com-
bination of all, but whatever the cause I have found by repeated experiments the
result is invariably that the shell explodes upon impact, and thus my invention
enables me to attain what has long been a desideratum among artillerists viz. a safe
shell which requires no fuse.
The explosive may be placed loose or compressed in the shell.
It may be loaded
into the shell in the form of a powder and compressed there or it may be previously
moulded to the required size and shape and placed in the shell, supposing the base
of the shell to be removable for that purpose. It may however be placed in the
shell in a plastic condition when it will set hard, I find however that it may be used
with equal effect in the form of a dry non-cohesive powder and this is a convenient
form in which to use it. If desired it may be mixed with gunpowder or like
explosive.
The explosive may however be used with a fulminate of mercury or other quick
and powerful detonator. The important point to be observed when using a fulminate
detonator is to preserve the detonator from the shock of the discharge or of the
handling of the projectile before or when being placed in the gun; the means that
prefer to employ for this purpose will be best understood by reference to the
accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of an ordinary time fuze with the
particular arrangement of detonator and casing attached and
Figure 2 is a cross section upon line Y Z of Fig. 1 looking towards the time fuze.
In these figures A represents a time fuze of ordinary construction and B a case
or tube which may be made of brass or other suitable metal or material and
screwed on to the nipple A' projecting from the inner end of the time fuze or it
may be attached to the nozzle or base of the shell itself. The case B when screwed
upon the fuze or shell is entirely closed as its end B is closed-in as shown in the
drawing.
Within the tube B are two short lengths of smaller tube pieces C fitted into B
and secured thereto, two small screws D passing through holes in B and screwing
into the inner tube pieces C which if desired may be thickened at those points as

page_text: shown in the drawing to increase the hold of the screw. The ends of the tube
pieces Care turned over as shown at C₁ to afford a holding for the block E of
indiarubber, cork or other shock absorbing material through the centre of which
passes the fulminate detonator F being thus completely held in the rubber block E.
The flash from the fuze whether time or impact passes down from the fuze to the
detonator inside the tube B, and thus ignites the detonator. The edges of the tube
pieces C, as shown in the drawings, preferably do not meet so as to allow-freedom
and convenience in inserting these pieces with the rubber block between them into
the tube B. The portion of the tube B between the holding device CE and the
end of the tube may be filled with powder explosive G as indicated in Fig. 1.
I find it desirable that the tube B' should be closed-in at the end of B¹ so as to
protect the detonator from the effect of shock that might result from its being in
contact with the main body of the powder which shock has the effect of compressing
the powder; by holding the detonator in the closed tube surrounded by a small
amount of loose powder the possibility of such a shock is avoided.
The detonator holder shown in the drawings may be used in combination with an
ordinary percussion fuze in a manner similar to that shown with reference to the
time fuze.
My experiments show that
Nitrate of ammonia alone can be fired in a shell from a gun by a charge of
gunpowder and exploded upon impact.
Nitrate of ammonia with the combination of naphthaline can be fired in a shell
from a gun with a charge of gunpowder and exploded upon impact.
A mixture of nitrate of ammonia and mono-nitro-naphthaline or a mixture of
nitrate of ammonia and di-nitro-naphthaline or their compounds can be fired in a
shell from a gun with a charge of gunpowder and exploded upon impact. In all
these cases I may put a greater or lesser pressure on the explosive used.
A suitable proportion is 90% of nitrate of ammonia and 10% mono- or di-nitro
naphthaline.
The other explosives of the class above named can, I find, be also used for the
purpose described viz. to be inserted in shells without detonating fuses or may be
used with the fuze herein described.
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,
1. The combination of a shell and a high explosive of the nature specified without
any detonator as and for the purposes described.
2. The combination described in the first claim with nitrate of ammonia used for
the explosive therein mentioned.
3. The combination described in the first claim with a mixture of nitrate of
ammonia and naphthaline (or mono-nitro-naphthaline, or di-nitro-naphthaline, or
their compounds) used for the explosives therein mentioned.
4. In the manufacture of shells the use of high explosives of the kind specified
which in themselves or in combination are inert and non-explosive by any ordinary
means but which explode upon meeting a body of resistance when the shell is
discharged from a gun without the use of a detonator.
5. The combination with a fuze of a case B B¹ detonator such as F and anti-
concussion holding block such as E substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
6. The combination in a shell of the detonating device described and claimed in
the last preceding claim with high explosives of the nature specified or with the
explosive bodies referred to in the second and third claiming clauses.
Dated 1 f T
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.