Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 31st Dec., 1888
ALFRED VINCENT' NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Defects not infrequently experienced in the use of the Bickford fuse, are its liability
to extinction when ignited before firing its charge, giving off much smoke, and
being deteriorated by water.
To avoid all these inconveniences, it is proposed to manufacture the fuse of a
celluloidal substance, into which solid highly combustible substances are incorporated,
in such proportions as to secure, even under the least favourable circumstances, a
continuity of combustion.
To this end, 15 to 20 paris by weight of camphor are dissolved in 100 parts by
weight of nitroglycerine, and the liquid thus obtained is thickened by dissolving
therein six parts of easily soluble nitro-cotton or other suitable nitro cellulose. This
thickened liquid is then mixed with 70 parts of chlorate of potash, 25 parts of
Ferricyanide of potassium very finely powdered, and 44 parts of soluble nitro-cotton,
or other suitable nitro-cellulose well pulped. This mixture of materials is passed and
repassed between rollers at the ordinary temperature until the ingredients are
thoroughly incorporated. The compound will then have somewhat the consistency of
plastic india rubber, and will admit of being easily squeezed by hydraulic or other
pressure through a moulding die, whence it will issue in the form of a continuous
cord of considerable tenacity. If the diameter of the cord does not exceed 1 milli-
meters, its combustion, when ignited, especially under water, would be somewhat
uncertain. The moulded cord is therefore submitted to a drying process, by heating
it to from 60 to 100° Centigrade, until it has become combustible enough to burn
easily, and without untimely extinction, under water. By reason of this treatment,
its diameter need not be increased beyond 14 millimeters.

page_text: For most purposes it is preferable to spin a textile envelope around the moulded
cord, as now practised in making the Bickford fuse, but as water has no action on the
new fuse, the ordinary tar coating which is productive of very noxious smoke from
its combustion in mines, may be entirely dispensed with. The textile covering may
even be soaked in a solution of chloride of calcium, or other hygroscopic salt, so as to
keep it continually damp, and thus render it incombustible. The main object in sur-
rounding the aforesaid combustible cord with a covering, is to protect it against
percussion which might damage or even fire it.
The composition of the aforesaid fuse material admits of much variation; thus, the
proportions of nitroglycerine can be raised or lowered according as more or less
tenacity of the celluloid material is aimed at ; the proportions and nature of the salts
used for quickening the combustion may also be greatly modified. Instead of chlorate
of potash, another chlorate or perchlorate may be used, and instead of Ferricyanide,
other suitable cyanides or picrates, or amorphus phosphorus or sulphur. Other
excellent solvents of nitro-cotton may also be substituted for camphor, such as acetone,
acetic ethers, nitrate of ethyle or methyle, nitrobenzol, or acetic acid. But such
modifications do not materially alter the properties herein described of the aforesaid
substance, in so far as its application as a fuse is concerned.
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page_text: I ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, 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 :-
The object of this invention, as communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondent,
is to avoid the disadvantages which accompany the use of Bickford fuses.
These disadvantages are, their liability to extinction before igniting the charge,
the giving off of smoke, and their tendency to deteriorate by contact with moisture.
In order to explain the nature of the invention and the manner of carrying it into
effect, I have embodied in the specification my correspondent's description of the
process of manufacture, which runs as follows:-
Instead of mealed gunpowder, which now forms the core of the fuse known as
Bickford's safety fuse, I form said combustible core from a kind of celluloidal substance
which offers the advantage of absolute continuity and of being impervious to
moisture.
The core is obtained by dissolving nitrated cellulose, by preference nitrated cotton
(such as that used in the manufacture of collodion), in nitro-glycerine, facilitating
the solution by adding a small proportion of camphor or other suitable solvent of
nitro-cotton, such as nitro-benzol or acetate of amyle, and incorporating with the
tough material thus obtained, very finely powdered chlorates, per-chlorates, nitrates,
per-manganates, bi-chromates, as well as sulphor, ferro- or ferri-cyanides, or equivalent
substances, having the property of intensely energising combustion. It is under-
stood that the choice within the wide range of such well known energising substances,
will depend upon the degree of energy requisite for the object in view. Thus, whilst
a cord or string of the aforesaid substance having a diameter of only one millimeter
requires the addition of such highly energising salts as are the chlorates, a cord or
string of two millimeters diameter can be sufficiently energised by suitable nitrates
such as the nitrate of lead.
I will now describe a composition suitable for the production of very thin com-
bustible fuse cords or strings of great tenacity and uniform composition. To this
end, I mix 100 parts by weight of nitroglycerine with 15 to 20 parts by weight of
camphor, and thicken the liquid thus obtained by dissolving therein 6 parts by weight
of nitrated pulped cotton. The viscuous liquid thus obtained I mix intimately
with 70 parts by weight of Chlorate of Potash and 25 parts by weight of Ferri-
cyanide of Potassium, both very finely powdered, and I then add 44 parts by weight
of nitrated pulped, readily soluble cotton. These materials I mix by passing and re-
passing the same between rollers adjusted so as to give no undue friction; I continue
such operation, which may be quickened by slightly steam heating the rollers, until

page_text: the nitrated cotton has become dissolved and the solid powdered matter well incor-
porated. The compound will then possess a consistency like that of soft india
rubber, though less elastic, and can be easily squeezed by hydraulic pressure or other-
wise, through a moulding die, whence it will issue in the form of a continuous cord
or string of considerable tenacity. If however its diameter does not exceed 1 milli-
meters, its combustion, when ignited, especially under water, is somewhat uncertain.
I therefore subject it to a vivifying process by keeping it heated at from 60 to 100°
centigrade, until a sample tried shows it to have become combustible enough to burn
easily, and without untimely extinction under water.
The duration of exposure to heat as aforesaid depends on the temperature which is
kept up, and the thickness of the aforesaid string or cord, but generally the operation
requires from 6 to 12 hours.
Whenever it is desired to have the aforesaid cord or string less sensitive to per-
cussion than that which is obtained as herein described, the chlorate aforesaid may
be replaced by nitrate of lead or nitrate of Potassium, only, as already pointed out,
the aforesaid cord must be made proportionately thick for equivalent effect.
The incorporation of the nitrated cotton with camphorated nitro-glycerine as above
described can be facilitated by adding some volatile solvent such as acetone, acétic
ether, or alcohol mixed with ether, in proportions which may be varied at con-
venience, since these solvents evaporate at ordinary temperatures, and form no part
of the ultimate composition, but only facilitate the incorporation of the nitrated cotton
aforesaid.
For most purposes it will suffice to spin a textile envelope (as a protective covering)
around the aforesaid cord or string in the same manner as is now practised with
miner's fuses, but since water has no action on the said celluloidal cord, the tarring of
the envelope, now practised, which is productive of noxious fumes on its combustion,
can be entirely dispensed with. This textile covering may be soaked with advantage
in a solution of chloride of calcium or chloride of zinc, or other hygroscopic salt, so
as to keep it continually damp, and thus render the textile envelope incombustible.
The composition of the aforesaid fuse material admits of .much variation, even as
regards the proportions of nitro-glycerine and nitrated cotton fibre. The higher the
proportion of the latter, the more tenacious and coherent the material becomes, but
the more difficult becomes, at the same time, its thorough incorporation. On the other
hand, the proportion of nitro-glycerine above given cannot be materially increased
without considerably decreasing the tenacity of the aforesaid cord or.string.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my Foreign Correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of nitro-glycerine and nitrated soluble cellulose, facilitated by
predisposing solvents, and the production therefrom of tenacious fuse cords,
substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
2. The incorporation with the tenacious celluloidal composition herein described.
consisting of nitro-glycerine, nitro-cellulose, and a predisposing solvent, of sub-
stances serving to energise its combustion, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described.
3. Moulding the tenacious celluloidal composition herein described into cords or
strings suitable for conversion into slow fuses, as herein set forth.
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