Improvements in Explosives.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Explosives.
I, ANDREW FULLER HARGREAVES, Chemist and Manager of Messrs. Hay Merricks
& Company Limited,, Gunpowder Manufacturers, of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of explosives for sporting or ordnance
guns, rifles and the like, being an improvement on my previous Patent No. 24235,
dated 13th December 1894, and consists in combining nitrated cotton skeins yarns
or threads with a solution of salts, and subjecting the explosive to a series of
processes as hereinafter described.
The material I prefer to employ is cotton yarn, preferably in the form of skeins
or hanks, although if desired, cotton threads lying longitudinally side by side, and
not twisted together, may be employed.
The skeins may be of any "count," but I prefer them to be about 10's or
thereabouts, and may be formed of a three or four strand thread, prepared by
twisting three or four of the threads together. These skeins or yarns are scoured,
and if desired bleached to extract all foreign matters which exist in the cotton in
its natural state, and which may have been introduce.! during the spinning process.
The bleaching has also for its object the conversion of a portion of the cellulose
into a modification thereof, namely oxy-cellulose.
The bleached or unbleached skeins are nitrated by any of the known methods by
means of nitric and sulphuric acids, and are then thoroughly washed and boiled
with or without the addition of a little alkali, until they successfully stand the
"heat" and other tests. The nitrated skeins, consisting of say three strand
threads, while still moist from the boiling process, are then wound on to reels or
bobbins, and any suitable number of these bobbins, say twenty, are placed on a
suitable revolving frame or disc, and the strands are twisted into the form of a rope.
This nitrated rope is then passed through a hot water bath, in which any or all
of the following substances have previously been dissolved :-
Nitrate of barium
Nitrate of potassium
Nitrate of ammonium
Nitrate of sodium, and
A little starch or gum.
The above solution is preferably of such a strength that when the yarn has passed
through the bath, there will have been deposited within or around the cellular
structure of the cotton fibre or threads a sufficient quantity of the above mentioned
salts to increase the weight of the rope some 15-20 per cent. more or less.
The nitrated rope or yarn next passes through suitable pressure rollers, which
presses out the excess fluid, leaving the yarn as it emerges from the roller damp
and moist, and I prefer to regulate the pressure so that the yarn will have absorbed
sufficient of the water and salts to approximately double its weight in its dry
condition. The yarn or rope still moist, is passed through a stiffening solution,
which preferably consists of one part of acetone and three parts of benzine or
naptha, although other agents may be employed, such as ether alcohol, acetic
ether or the like. To this stiffening solution may be added paraffin or vaseline,

page_text: di-nitro-benzole, nitro-glycerine or resin or any combination of the same. The
material still in the form of threads and practically retaining its fibrous nature
after passing through this stiffening solution is placed in the open air, and soon
becomes stiff, but still moist, and uninflammable, and in this condition it may be
cut up into lengths or pellets suitable for sporting guns, rifles and the like. If
desired the number of pellets or lengths may be at once counted, collected and
inserted in the cartridge case; on the other hand a number of the lengths of
"rope" may be placed together and subsequently cut into the desired lengths.
It will be understood that the process may be modified without departing from
the spirit of the invention, for instance, single nitrated threads may be employed
instead of skeins as hereinbefore mentioned, and in another modification paraffin,
vaseline, di-nitro-benzole, nitro-glycerine or resin or any combination of the same
instead of being added to the stiffening solution may be incorporated with the
pellets after drying, by steeping them in a solution of any or all the above
substances in benzine, ether, naptha or other suitable solvent, and again drying the
pellets or lengths.
Dated this 10th day of July 1806
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Explosives.
1, ANDREW FULLER HARGREAVES, Chemist and Manager of Messrs. Hay Merricks
& Company Limited, Gunpowder Manufacturers, of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland,
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 relates to the manufacture of explosives for sporting or ordnance
guns, rifles and the like, being an improvement on my previous Patent No. 24235,
dated 13th December 1894, and consists in combining nitrated cotton skeins yarns
or threads with a solution of salts, and subjecting the explosive to a series of
processes as hereinafter described.
The material I prefer to employ is cotton yarn, preferably in the form of skeins
or banks, although if desired, cotton threads lying longitudinally side by side, and
not twisted together, may be employed.
I take preferably skeins or hanks of cotton thread which is generally known as
three ply (though a four or other ply thread may be employed) that is to say, a
thread which has previously by the cotton spinner or doubler been twisted and
made up of three smaller threads, the thickness of each of these smaller threads
being of the kind shown as 10's counts. These skeins or yarns are scoured, and
if desired bleached to extract all foreign matters which exist in the cotton in its
natural state, and which may have been introduced during the spinning process.
The bleaching has also for its object the conversion of a portion of the cellulose
into a modification thereof, namely oxy-cellulose.
The bleached or unbleached skeins are nitrated by any of the known methods by
means of nitric and sulphuric acids but I prefer to form the "soluble variety." The
skeins are then thoroughly washed and boiled with or without the addition of a little
alkali, until they successfully stand the "heat" and other tests. The nitrated skeins,
consisting of say three strand threads, while still moist from the boiling process, are
then wound on to reels or bobbins, and any suitable number of these bobbins, say
twenty, are placed on a suitable revolving frame or disc, and the strands are twisted
into the form of a rope.

page_text: This nitrated rope is then passed through a hot water bath, in which any or all of
the following substances have previously been dissolved :-
Nitrate of barium
Nitrate of potassium
Nitrate of ammonium
Nitrate of sodium, and
A little starch or gum.
After passing through this hot solution, the rope is first allowed to cool, and then
passed through suitable pressure rollers, which press out the excess fluid leaving the
rope, as it emerges from the rollers, damp and moist. The amount of say nitrate of
barium which prefer to dissolve in the water bath should be sufficient to make it
stand at or about 25° Twaddle, and at a temperature not less than 200° Fahrenheit
and the amount of pressure on the rollers may be regulated so that the rope will have
absorbed sufficient of the water and salts to when pressed approximately double its
weight in a dry condition; that is to say, 1 lb. of pure dry nitrated rope should weigh
on emerging from the pressure rollers about 2 lbs., and about 15 to 20% of nitrate of
barium should be permanently introduced.
Any number of these ropes, preferably three, may now be further twisted together
in order to produce a still thicker rope and while still moist this is passed through a
bath of acetone or acetic ether, but diluted with ether alcohol, ether, benzene, or
naphtha. I prefer a mixture of 1 part acetone and 3 parts benzene. This strength is
sufficient to stiffen the threads without destroying their fibrous nature and to cause
them all to adhere together. This stiffened rope is then cut up into any suitable
lengths whilst in a moist and uninflammable condition and the pellets thus formed are
after drying suitable for use in fowling pieces or rifles.
To the stiffening solution there may be added vaseline paraffin wax, nitro-glycerine,
or di-nitro-benzene, or these ingredients may be introduced subsequently by steeping
the pellets themselves in a suitable bath or solution in which these ingredients have
been dissolved in any suitable volatile solvent such as ether, benzene, or naphtha: and
when I add vaseline or paraffin wax I prefer that these shall be introduced by this
subsequent process. The solvent is then dried out leaving the pellets with any or all
of these ingredients within and around the cellular fibres or threads.
It will be understood that the process may be modified without departing from the
spirit of the invention, for instance, single nitrated threads, preferably three ply, may be
employed instead of skeins, and subjected to exactly the same treatment as described
above, and then cut up into small lengths to form grains.
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. An explosive consisting of nitrated yarn or thread in combination with one or
more of the aforesaid agents, which are permanently fixed or locked within the
cellular fibres by a stiffening process substantially as described.
2. An explosive consisting of nitrated skeins twisted into rope or single nitrated
threads passed through a solution containing one or more of the following ingredients
nitrates of barium, potassium, ammonium, sodium, and starch or gum and stiffened by
acetone and benzene into which stiffening solution may be introduced or subsequently
vaseline paraffin wax, nitroglycerine or di-nitro-benzene, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of Anril 1897.
ANDREW FULLER HARGREAVES.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.