Process for Manufacturing Powder suitable for Practice Ammunition, Sporting Cartridges, and similar purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 14th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by the Firm of F. C. GLASER, of 80, Linden Strasse,
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Engineers and Patent Agents.]
Process for Manufacturing Powder suitable for Practice Ammunition,
Sporting Cartridges, and similar purposes.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
It is a matter of practical experience that many of the so called smokeless
powders which are well suited for charging service ammunition, either for small
arms or for ordnance, do not at all answer the requirements of an explosive to be
used for practice ammunition and it has been found desirable that the explosive to
be used for charging practice ammunition as well as sporting cartridges should be
firstly more voluminous and secondly more susceptible to ignition than the
propelling explosives used for service ammunition or for cartridges loaded with a
bullet or other solid projectile.
An explosive to be used for charging practice ammunition should be rather
voluminous because it is desirable that the comparatively small quantity which
suffices for that purpose should fill the cartridge case or bag to the same extent as
that case or bag is filled by the greater quantity (by weight) of similar explosive
required for service ammunition.
The same requirement applies to sporting cartridges in so far as many sorts of
explosives suitable for ball cartridges in small bore rifles if used for sporting guns,
as now generally in use, would offer the danger of overcharging the cartridge, a
danger which does not exist if that explosive is made more voluminous.
For practice ammunition as well as for sporting cartridges and similar purposes
the explosive should also have a greater susceptibility to ignition because there is
either no resisting body in front of the charge or, as in the case of small shot, only
a body that gives way very easily and does not offer anything like the resistance
caused by the inertia and initial friction of a bullet or other solid projectile;
consequently the expanding gases finding no, or only very little resistance to their
expansion towards the muzzle begin to dissipate the bodies of the charge in the
very moment of ignition and there is great danger that part of the charge be
thrown out of the barrel unburnt or partly unburnt if the explosive is not made
more susceptible to the igniting spark.
The present invention has for its object, to provide for means by which any
explosive suitable for service ammunition can be made useful, if desired, for
practice ammunition, small shot cartridges and similar purposes. It consists in the
following process of manufacture.
The mass of explosive material, before it is formed into whatever shape or form,
is incorporated with a certain quantity of a soluble body that has no decomposing
effect on the explosive material. The incorporation of this body with the mass is
carried on until they are completely intermixed with one another. Then the
mixture is brought into the required form or shape by any of the known means.
Thereupon the added soluble body is extracted either by washing or boiling the
bodies of the explosive in water or some other fluid, in which the added body is
soluble, or by evaporating or otherwise driving the same out as completely as
bossible.
This process leaves the bodies of explosive entirely or nearly entirely unaltered
as far as size and form is concerned, but it gives them a remarkable porosity, the

page_text: degree of this porosity depending on the quantity of soluble material previously
added and afterwards extracted.
This soluble material may be a solid body, such as sugar, saltpetre or any other
salt. If so, a proportion of 2 to 4 parts of the soluble body added to every 10 parts
of the explosive material will answer the purpose, but this proportion may yet be
increased or reduced. The soluble material may also be a volatile or liquid body,
such as naphthaline or paraffine oil, and in this case the proportion, to obtain the
same effect, must be increased inasmuch as part of it will be lost during the process
of moulding the material into the required form.
By the described process for making the explosive more porous the specific and
gravimetric density of the ready made explosive is correspondingly reduced.
This explosive offering in consequence of its greater porosity an increased
surface to the igniting spark will prove to be more susceptible to ignition than
the same material not so treated.
Dated this 15th day of December 1899
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process for Manufacturing Powder suitable for Practice Ammunition,
Sporting Cartridges, and similar purposes.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
It is a matter of practical experience that many of the so called smokeless
powders which having a more or less homogeneous consistence are well suited for
charging service ammunition, either for small arms or for ordnance, do not at all
answer the requirements of an explosive for practice ammunition and it has been
found desirable that the explosive to be used for charging practice ammunition or
sporting cartridges should be firstly more voluminous and secondly more susceptible
of ignition than the propelling explosives used for service ammunition or for
cartridges loaded with a bullet or other solid projectile.
An explosive to be used for charging practice ammunition should be rather
voluminous because it is desirable that the comparatively small quantity which is
sufficient for a blank cartridge should fill the cartridge case or bag to the same
extent as that case or bag is filled by the greater quantity (by weight) required for
service shooting.
The same requirement applies to sporting cartridges in so far as with many sorts
of explosives which are suitable for ball cartridges in small bore rifles if used for
sporting guns such as are now generally in use one would incur the danger of
overcharging the cartridge, a danger which would not exist if the explosive were
more voluminous.
For practice ammunition as well as for sporting cartridges the explosive used
should also have a greater susceptibility of ignition because there is either no
resisting body in front of the charge or as in the case of small shot-only a body
that gives way very easily and does not offer anything like the resistance caused
by the inertia and initial friction of a bullet or other solid projectile; consequently
the expanding gases finding no resistance or only very little to their expansion
towards the muzzle begin to whirl around the grains cubes leaflets or other forms
of which the charge consists in the very moment of ignition and there is great
danger of part of the charge being thrown out of the barrel unburnt or partly so
when the explosive is not so highly sensitive to the igniting spark as to ignite
instantaneously throughout.
The present invention has for its object to provide means by which any explosive

page_text: of a homogeneous consistence suitable for service ammunition can be made useful,
if desired, for practice ammunition, small shot cartridges and similar purposes.
It consists in the following process of manufacture.
The mass of explosive material before it is formed into any particular shape is
incorporated with a certain quantity of a soluble or volatile body that has nɔ
decomposing or dissolving effect on the explosive material. The incorporation of
this body with the mass is carried on until they are completely intermixel with one
another. The paste thus obtained is then brought into the required shape by any
of the known means. Thereupon the soluble or volatile body which had been
added is extracted either by washing or boiling the grains cubes leaflets or other
forms of the explosive in water or some other fluid in which the added body is
soluble or by evaporating or otherwise driving it out as completely as possible.
This process leaves the grains cubes leaflets or other forms of explosive unaltered
or nearly so as far as size and form are concerned but it gives them a remarkable
porosity the degree of this porosity depending on the comparative quantity of
soluble material added in the first instance and afterwards extracted.
This soluble material may be a solid body, such as sugar, saltpetre or any other
suitable salt. If so, a proportion of 2 to 4 parts of the soluble material added to
every 10 parts of the explosive material will answer the purpose but this proportion
may be increased or diminished. The soluble material may also be a volatile or
liquid body, such as naphthalene or paraffine oil or the like, and in this case the
proportionate quantity of the material added must be increased, if the same effect is
aimed at, inasmuch as part of it will be lost during the process of forming the
material into the required form.
If the explosive material consists partly or wholly of nitrocellulose, then the
material to be added should not be one of those bodies which are known as volatile
solvents of nitrocellulose, for instance acetone, acetic ether or the like, because
nitrocellulose, thoroughly incorporated with such solvents, contracts on evaporisation
of the solvent without remarkable pores or cavities being formed within the mass.
On the other hand an explosive consisting of nitrocellulose gelatinized by a volatile
solvent and having added thereto, simultaneously with the solvent, another volatile
body such as naphthalene, benzene or the like, does not contract on evaporisation
of the solvent to a homogeneous mass but it shrinks to some extent and yet
after complete vaporisation it presents a highly porous structure throughout the
mass.
By the described process for making the explosive more porous the specific
gravity and gravimetric density of the finished explosive is correspondingly
reduced as may be understood from the following examples.
a. A smokeless powder suitable for service ammunition and for ball cartridges,
having a gravimetric density of 680 gr. and a specific gravity of 1.60 may be
produced for example by dissolving 10 parts of nitrocellulose in 10 parts of a
volatile solvent, the paste being moulded and afterwards freed from the solvent
according to any of the known processes. When the same material is thoroughly
incorporated, simultaneously with the solvent, also with 4 parts of saltpetre, which
is extracted after the moulding by boiling the powder in water, and, afterwards
drying, it can be brought to a gravimetric density of 450 gr. and a specific gravity
of about 1-20.
b. Or an explosive produced from 10 parts of nitrocellulose dissolved in 7 parts
of a solvent which is afterwards evaporated has a gravimetric density of about
670 gr. and a specific gravity of about 1.55; but the same material treated
according to this invention with about 12 parts of benzene (or any other suitable
volatile body) forms an explosive with a gravimetric density of about 470 and a
specific gravity of about 1.3.
c. Or the material described under consisting of 10 parts of nitrocellulose
dissolved in 7 parts of a solvent may have added to it instead of the benzene
10 parts of paraffine oil or any other suitable liquid before it is moulded and this
liquid being extracted with the aid of sulphuric ether, after the moulding, the

page_text: explosive can then be brought down to a gravimetric density of about 460 and a
specific gravity of about 1-25.
In a similar manner and with proportions that may be widely varied any
explosive material of a somewhat homogeneous consistence can be made more or
less porous and consequently more or less voluminous.
Such explosives offering in consequence of their greater porosity an increased
surface to the igniting spark are more susceptible of ignition than the same
material not treated as described and they are therefore adapted for practice
ammunition for small shot cartridges and for similar purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described process of making explosives of homogeneous consistence
more porous and voluminous by incorporating with the explosive before it is
moulded a quantity of a soluble or volatile body that has no decomposing nor
dissolving effect on the explosive material and then, after the mass is moulded or
otherwise brought to the required form extracting or evaporating the added
substance as and for the purposes set forth.
2. An explosive rendered porous and voluminous by the process above
referred to.
Dated this 14th day of September 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.