Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive Compounds.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left. 12th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 13th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive Compounds.
We, RALPH EDWARD BROWN, of 5 St. Paul's Terrace, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in
the County of Northumberland, and CARL OLOF LUNDHOLM, of Ardeer Factory,
Stevenston, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, Technical Chemists, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
Our said invention has for its object the manufacture in an improved manner of
so-called smokeless colloidal explosive compounds of the well known nitrocellulose and
nitroglycerine-nitrocellulose types, so as, more especially, to moderate the com-
bustion of such compounds and lower the temperature of the gases resulting from
Buch combustion.
For the purposes herein before stated it has hitherto been proposed to add to the
explosive ingredient or ingredients various substances such, for example, as camphor,
vaseline, paraffin, or tannic acid; and our improvements consist in substituting for
such substances either gutta-percha, rubber, balata, or the juice of Alstonia
scholaris, or a mixture of any two or more of these substances.
Any suitable method or apparatus may be employed for combining or incorporating
these substances with the explosive ingredient or ingredients and whilst not limiting
ourselves in any way the following methods are given by way of example.
According to one example, where the explosive ingredient or ingredients is or
are being incorporated or gelatinised in a kneading machine, we dissolve one or
more of the improved moderating agents in any suitable known solvents thus
forming a solution which can be added to the explosive ingredient or ingredients
at whatever may be found the most suitable point in the process, the kneading being
continued until the whole ingredients are uniformly incorporated.
According to a second example, where the nitroglycerine is to be dissolved in
benzol or other solvent in order to facilitate its subsequent distribution over the
nitrated derivative of cellulose, we dissolve one or more of the improved moderating
agents along with the nitroglycerine. This combined solution is used to saturate
the nitrated derivative of the cellulose, nitro starch or other ingredient, the solvent
is then evaporated and the remaining compound is gelatinised by malaxation in the
usual manner.
The improved explosive compounds may finally be rolled, moulded, or otherwise
shaped into blocks or into plain or corrugated sheets, or into cords, rods, strips or
tubes which again may be cut into variously sized cubic or other forms, such as
pellets, grains, threads, rings, tubes, any of such forms being easily producible by
known mechanical appliances.
The improved explosive compounds may have incorporated with them oxidising
materials, such for example as nitrates and then be treated as described for bringing
them into any desired shape.
Dated this Twelfth day of June 1894.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.

page_text: '
Improvements in the manufacture of Explosive Compounds.
We, RALPH EDWARD BROWN, of 5, St. Paul's Terrace, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in
the County of Northumberland, and CARL OLOF LUNDHOLM, of Ardeer Factory,
Stevenston, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, Technical Chemists, 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, that
is to say :-
Our said invention has for its object the manufacture in an improved manner of
so-called smokeless colloidal explosive compounds of the well known nitrocellulose
and nitroglycerine-nitrocellulose types, so as, more especially, to moderate the
combustion of such compounds and lower the temperature of the gases resulting
from such combustion.
For the purposes hereinbefore stated it has hitherto been proposed to add to the
explosive ingredient or ingredients various substances such, for example, as camphor,
vaseline, paraffin, or tannic acid; and our improvements consist in substituting for
such, substances either gutta percha, rubber, balata, or the juice of Alstonia
scholaris, or a mixture of any two or more of these substances.
Any suitable method or apparatus may be employed for combining or incor-
porating these substances with the explosive ingredient or ingredients and
whilst not limiting ourselves in any way the following methods are given by way
of example.
According to one example, where the explosive ingredient or ingredients is or are
being incorporated or gelatinised in a kneading machine, we dissolve one or more
of the improved moderating agents in any suitable known solvent thus forming a
solution which can be added to the explosive ingredient or ingredients at whatever
may be found the most suitable point in the process, the kneading being continued
until the whole ingredients are uniformly incorporated.
According to a second example, where the nitroglycerine is to be dissolved in
benzol or other solvent in order to facilitate its subsequent distribution over .the
nitrated derivative of cellulose, we dissolve one or more of the improved moderating
agents along with the nitroglycerine. This combined solution is used to saturate
the nitrated derivative of the cellulose, nitro starch or other ingredient, the solvent
is then evaporated and the remaining compound is gelatinised by malaxation in the
usual manner.
The improved explosive compounds may finally be rolled, moulded, or otherwise,
shaped into blocks or into plain or corrugated sheets, or into cords, rods, strips or
tubes which again may be cut into variously sized cubic or other forms, such as
pellets, grains, threads, rings, tubes, any of such forms being easily producible by
known mechanical appliances.
The improved explosive compounds may have incorporated with them oxidising
materials, such for example as nitrates and then be treated as described for bringing
them into any desired shape.
The application of our invention in the manufacture of some explosive compounds
renders them less liable thau as hitherto made to be affected by moisture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
The use of gutta percha, rubber, balata, the juice of Alstonia scholaris, or a
mixture of any two or more of these in the manufacture of so-called smokeless

page_text: powders of the nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine-nitrocellulose types substantially
in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this Eleventh day of March 1895.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.