Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Priming Caps or Exploders.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th Jan., 1892--Accepted, 12th Mar.,
1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Priming
Caps or Exploders.
I, VICTOR ALDER of 1 Hegelgasse 13 Kolowrutring Vienna in the Empire of
Austria Chemist and Manufacturer of Priming Caps, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In manufacturing ammunition for storage it is necessary to press the fulminate or
priming material into the priming caps or exploders whilst in a dry condition.
With this object it is necessary for the priming or detonating material to be
composed of uniform granules in order to render it capable of manipulation and to
obtain regular or uniform charges.
The manufacture of the priming under these conditions as well as the subsequent
manipulation in a dry condition is attended with great danger and this danger is
enhanced by the demand for priming giving an initial combustion of great force
and intense heat (for powder or explosives difficult of ignition) the priming for
this purpose requiring the employment of highly explosive or strongly reacting
materials such as compounds of amorphous phosphorus metallic phosphides or
phosphurets cyanogen salts, sulpho cyanides or cyanurets and the like.
In order to diminish this danger as far as possible the ingredients or constituents
of the priming such as amorphous phosphorus metallic sulphides sulphurets phos-
phides phosphurets cyanogen salts, sulpho cyanides or cyanurets and the like as
well as the oxygen yielding agent such as chlorate or perchlorate of potash, nitre
and the like and also the glass, porcelain, quartz or other friction producing agent
when such is employed are according to this invention brought or reduced to the
required size of granules singly or in such mixtures as present in themselves little
or no danger.
The ingredients being thus granulated are combined in the first place into a loose
uniform mixture by simply repeated running or pouring them together in a sieve
or by other suitable means immediately before their division into the requisite
quantities or charges and being then placed upon the measuring plate in relatively
small quantities presenting no serious danger are distributed to the caps and
pressed.
The safety of the process results from the fact that intimate contact between the
individual grains or particles of the priming such as ensues from a preliminary
intimate mixture of the finely pulverised ingredients is obviated being replaced by
a loose juxtaposition of the granulated ingredients thus affording the great
advantage of enabling extremely powerful or destructive materials to be employed
in the manufacture of priming.
In case it is necessary in dealing with peculiarly sensitive matter, to reduce the
danger attending the manipulation, the granulated constituents of the priming are
placed in the cells or recesses of the measuring plate being taken separately or in
There must of course be
such mixtures as present little or no danger in themselves.
provided as many of such plates as there are different constituents or mixtures of
constituents or ingredients to be measured.
The contents of these plates that is to say the material contained in the cells are
successively transferred by pouring or by means of a sliding arrangement to a
mixing plate provided with corresponding recesses and the materials are then
mixed by repeated inversion of the mixing plate which is covered by a rubber or
leather lid or cover the small quantities corresponding to the charge of a cap
being such as to reduce to a minimum the dangerous effects of an explosion.

page_text: The contents of the mixing plate are then transferred to the caps in the usual
manner and pressed down.
In order to facilitate the manipulation of amorphous phosphorus in the process
herein before described it is converted superficially to a suitable extent into a metallic
phosphuret as follows:-
The amorphous phosphorus is treated at boiling heat and with or without a
pressure (which may be equal to 10 atmospheres for example) according to the
amount of metal which the prepared phosphorus is destined to contain with the
calculated quantity of a heavy metallic salt (salt of copper, silver, lead, or quicksilver
for example) in a watery solution until the whole of the metal in the liquid is
taken up by the phosphorus this being readily ascertained by analysis or by the
decolourizing of the liquid when copper salts are employed.
In place of the watery solution an ammoniacal solution (of silver and copper) or
an alkaline solution (of lead) may be employed with the same object.
Under this treatment the original red colour of the amorphous phosphorus
changes owing to the formation of the corresponding metallic phosphuret into from
a bright steel grey to black.
This formation of the metallic phosphuret proceeds in the phosphorus from the
exterior to the interior and as this compound is considerably less susceptible of
reaction than is amorphous phosphorus it forms a protecting covering for the
internal core of unchanged phosphorus.
The amount of metal in such preparations may vary within very wide limits; in
the case of copper for example from a very small proportion up to say 60 per cent.
for example.
-
If it be desired to perform the conversion into the metallic phosphuret as com
pletely as possible the amorphous phosphorus is placed along with the solutions of
the metallic salt employed in a ball mill or other analogous reducing apparatus
heated by steam or otherwise to the desired temperature and to which a rotary or
shaking motion is imparted until the metal has been taken up.
In either case the product deposited on the bottom of the trough drum or
other vessel employed is collected on a filter and washed first with water and
afterwards with alcohol and finally dried preferably in a vacuum.
Dated this 27th day of April 1891
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture of Priming
Caps or Exploders.
I, VICTOR ALDER of X Humboldtgasse, 33, Vienna in the Empire of Austria,
Chernist and Manufacturer of Priming Caps 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 manufacturing ammunition for storage it is necessary to press the fulminate
or priming material into the priming caps or exploders whilst in a dry condition.
With this object it is necessary for the priming or detonating material to be
composed of uniform granules in order to render it capable of manipulation and to
obtain regular or uniform charges.
The manufacture of the priming under these conditions as well as the subsequent
manipulation in a dry condition as heretofore conducted is attended with great
danger and this danger is enhanced by the demand which has lately arisen for
priming giving an initial combustion of great force and intense heat (for powder or
explosives difficult of ignition) the priming for this purpose requiring the employ-
ment of highly explosive or strongly reacting materials such as amorphous
phosphorus or compounds of phosphorus, cyanogen or rhodium for example.

page_text: In order to diminish this danger as far as possible the ingredients or constituents
of the priming such as amorphous phosphorus metallic sulphides sulphurets phos-
phides phosphorets or cyanogen or rhodium salts and the like as well as the oxygen
bearing agent such as chlorate or perchlorate of potash, nitre and the like and also
the glass, porcelain, quartz or other friction producing agent when such is employed
are according to this invention brought or reduced to the required size of granules
separately or in such mixtures as present in themselves little or no danger or
liability to accidental explosion.
The ingredients being thus granulated are combined in the first place into a loose
uniform mixture by simply repeatedly running or pouring them together in a sieve
or by other suitable means immediately before their division into the requisite
quantities or charges and being then placed upon the measuring plate in relatively
small quantities presenting no serious danger are distributed to the caps and
pressed.
The safety of the process results from the fact that intimate contact between the
individual grains or particles of the priming such as ensues from a preliminary
intimate mixture of the finely pulverised detonating ingredients and subsequent
granulation is obviated being replaced by a loose juxtaposition of the granulated
ingredients thus affording the great advantage of enabling extremely powerful or
destructive and sensitive materials to be employed in the manufacture of priming.
In case it is necessary, in dealing with peculiarly sensitive matter, to take further
precautions for reducing the danger attending the manipulation, the granulated
constituents of the priming are placed in the cells or recesses of corresponding
measuring plates being taken separately or in such mixtures as present little or no
danger in themselves." There must of course be provided as many of such plates
as there are different constituents or mixtures of constituents or ingredients to be
measured.
The contents of this series of measuring plates that is to say the several ingredients
or material contained in the cells are successively transferred by pouring or by
means of a sliding arrangement to the cells of one mixing plate provided with
correspondingly larger cells or recesses and the materials are then mixed in these
recesses by repeated turning over or inversion of the mixing plate which is covered
by a lid or plate of rubber or leather the quantities of loose materials contained in
its cells corresponding to the charge of a cap being so small as to reduce to a
minimum the dangerous effects of an accidental explosion.
The contents of the cells in the mixing plate are then transferred to the caps in
the usual manner and pressed down.
In order to facilitate the manipulation of the amorphous phosphorus employed
in the process hereinbefore described it is converted superficially to a suitable extent
into a metallic phosphuret.
With this object the amorphous phosphorus is treated at boiling heat and with or
without the application of pressure which may be equal to 10 atmospheres for
example, according to the amount of metal which the prepared phosphorus is
destined to contain with an excess of an aqueous ammoniacal or alkaline solution of a
heavy metallic salt using by preference a salt of copper, silver or lead the same
metallic salt being gradually added so long as the phosphorus continues to take up
the metal in the liquid, this being readily ascertained, by the decolorising of the
liquid when copper salts are employed or by a corresponding analysis in the case
of other metals.
Any suitable soluble metallic salt may be employed but the sulphate and acetate
of copper sulphate and acetate of silver and acetate of lead in an aqueous solution
(from 0.1 Baumé to complete saturation) are employed by preference in carrying
out this part of the invention in practice.
Under this treatment the original red colour of the amorphous phosphorus
changes to from bright steely grey to black owing to the formation of the corre-
sponding metallic phosphuret which extends to a certain extent into the substance
of the particles of phosphorus.

page_text: If it be desired to perform the conversion into the metallic phosphuret as
completely as possible the amorphous phosphorus is placed along with the solution
of the metallic salt employed in a ball mill or other analogous reducing apparatus
heated by steam or otherwise to the desired elevated temperature and to which a
rotary or shaking motion is imparted until the metal has been taken up.
In either case the product deposited on the bottom of the trough, drum or other
vessel employed is collected on a filter and washed first with water and afterwards
with alcohol and finally dried.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I.
claim is:-
1. In the manufacture or preparation of priming caps or exploders obviating the
granulation of dangerously sensitive or explosive combinations by taking the several
component parts or ingredients of the priming or detonating charge and granulating
them separately or in relatively safe combinations and mixing these granulated
materials loosely in the required proportions immediately before they are placed in
the caps or exploders or in case this method is attended with danger owing to the
great sensitiveness of the materials placing the separate ingredients in a corre-
sponding number of separate cells in separate measuring plates from which they are
transferred to the cells of a mixing plate in which the granulated ingredients are
loosely mixed in relatively small and safe quantities corresponding to the charge
of a single cap or exploder by repeatedly turning over or inverting the said mixing
plate all substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In order to facilitate the manipulation or working of amorphous phosphorus
employed in the manufacturing process hereinbefore described and claimed converting
this substance superficially into a metallic phosphuret by treatment with a suitable
quantity of an aqueous ammoniacal or alkaline solution of a metallic salt (being
preferably a salt of copper silver or lead) at boiling temperature with or without
the application of pressure and if required, with the aid of a reducing or shaking
apparatus such as a ball mill the amorphous phosphorus thus superficially converted
being subsequently washed with water and alcohol and dried all substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. In the manufacture of charges for priming caps or exploders producing a
relatively high temperature on ignition the employment of amorphous phosphorus
treated or prepared substantially as hereinbefore described and claimed in the
second claiming clause.
Dated this 27th day of January 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.