Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1899-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1899
I, LEYSHON DAVIES, Joint-Manager, Kame's Gunpowder Mills, Kyles of Bute,
Argyleshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows.-
This invention which relates to explosives has mainly for its object to provide
a practically flameless explosive suitable for use in mines and in other cases
where the production of flame 18 objectionable, the explosive being however by
suitable modification applicable for use in cartridges for guns and small arms.
The improved explosive 18 composed of nitrate of ammonium and lignite
(brown coal) or bitumenous coal with or without the addition of a small per-
centage of paraffin wax or other like water proof and inflammable substance, and
it 18 adapted to be exploded by means of a detonator. A feature of the explosive
mixture is that it is capable of being readily exploded by the use of a detonator
of smaller size than is required with the ordinary flameless explosives and thus
the amount of flame produced by the fulminate of the detonator is also lessened.
About 90 per centum of nitrate of ammonium is incorporated with 10 per
centum of lignite by crushing or grinding in a pan mill or other mixer; and
when paraffin wax is added about one per centum is used and the nitrate of
ammonium correspondingly reduced if desired. The mixture may be ground
to meal form and so used but owing to the natural properties of lignite the
mixture readily cakes under the action of the rollers or runners in the pan mill
and the cake so formed 18 broken into granular form. The strength of the
explosive 18 readily varied by grading it from the meal form to granular form.
The wax when present facilitates ignition or detonation and serves also to lessen
the hygroscopic action of the ammonium nitrate.
The explosive 18 filled or made up into sealed cartridges and in order to facili-
tate detonation and lessen risk of accidental explosion while fitting the detonator
the cartridge is by preference perforated or made with a cavity of alightly larger
size than the detonator to be fitted therein The detonator 18 preferably dipped
in or coated with paraffin wax or other waterproof and inflammable substance.
The explosive when intended for military or sporting purposes is modified by
mixing it with ordinary gun-powder, suitable proportions being three parts of
the improved explosive in admixture with one part of gun-powder
Such a
mixture may be made up into the usual form of cartridges for use in guns and
small arms and is adapted to be fired by an ordinary percussion cap
Dated thio 24th of D
1000
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the Firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather, Chartered Patent Agents,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I, LEYBHON DAVIES, Joint-Manager, Kame's Gunpowder Mills, Kyles of Bute,
Argyleshire, 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.-
This invention which relates to explosives has mainly for its object to provide
a practically flameless explosive suitable for use in mines and in other cases
where the production of flame 18 objectionable, the explosive being however by
suitable modification applicable for use in cartridges for guns and small arms
The improved explosive 18 composed of nitrate of ammonium and lignite
(brown coal) or bitumenous coal of other carbon obtained from natural sources
as distinguished from artificially prepared carbon, with or without the addition of a
mall percentage of paraffin wax or other like waterproof and inflammable sub-
stance, and it is adapted to be exploded by means of a detonator. A feature of the
explosive mixture 18 that it is capable of being readily exploded by the use of a
detonator of smaller size than is required with the ordinary flameless explosives
and thus the amount of flame produced by the fulminate of the detonator is also
lessened
About 80 to 90 per centum of nitiate of ammonium is incorporated with 10 to
20 per centum of lignite by crushing or grinding in a pan mill or other mixer;
and when paraffin wax is added about one per centum is used and the nitrate of
ammonium correspondingly reduced if desired The mixture may be ground to
meal form and so used but owing to the natural properties of lignite the mixture
readily cakes under the action of the rollers or runners in the pan mill and the cake
so formed is broken into granular form The strength of the explosive is readily
varied by adjusting the proportions of ammonium nitrate and the percentage
of carbon and volatile matter in the carbonaceous substance and grading it
from the meal form to granular form. The wax when present facilitates ignition
or detonation and serves also to lessen the hygroscopic action of the ammonium
nitrate.
The explosive 18 filled or made up into sealed cartridges, and in order to facili-
tate detonation and lessen risk of accidental explosion while fitting the detonator
the cartridge is by preference perforated or made with a cavity of slightly larger
size than the detonator to be fitted therein The detonator 18 preferably dipped
in or coated with paraffin wax or other waterproof and inflammable substance.
The explosive when intended for military or sporting purposes is modified by
mixing it with ordinary gun-powder, suitable proportions being three parts of
the improved explosive in admixture with one part of gun-powder. Such a
mixture may be made up into the usual form of cartridges for use in guns and
small arms and is adapted to be fired by an ordinary percussion cap
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim 18:
1. The herein before described explosive composed of about 80 to 90 per centum
of nitrate of ammonium incorporated with 10 to 20 per centum of lignite or like
natural carbon with or without the addition of about one per centum of paraffin
wax.

page_text: 2. The modified form of explosive suitable for military and sporting purposes
consisting of a mixture of gunpowder with the explosive compound referred to
in Claim 1.
Dated this 20th day of September 1899.
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Of the Firm of Cruikshank & Fairweather, Chartered Patent Agents,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.