US1382260A - Process of forming bursting charge - Google Patents

Description

c. A. WO ODBURY. PROCESS OF FORMING BURSTING CHARGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4| I918- 1,382 5260. Patented June 21, 1921.

. I AUORIVEY STATES PATENT' OFFICE.

CLIFFORD A WOODBURY, 0F MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, DELAWARE COUNTY, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO E. I. DU IPONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY, OF WILMING- TON, DELAWARE, A. CORPORATION OF'DELAWARE.

PROCESS OF FORMING BURSTING CHARGE.

' Application filed April 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD A. W001)- BURY, of Middletown township, in the county of Delaware,'and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Forming Bursting Charge, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,

and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to a process of forming a bursting charge for containers intended to be exploded, such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mines, etc, and its object is to provide such a bursting charge which shall have, among others, the advantages of rendering available new sources of raw material for bursting charges for high explosive containers and of providing a process by which said charge can be cast into said containers and there caused to solidify and completely fill the space provided for the charge, and to such ends the invention comprises a process of producing a bursting charge for containers intended to be exploded, such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mines, etc. i

In the accompanying drawing,

The figure is an axial section of a shell containing a bursting charge made by a process embodying my invention.

The invention is capable of being carried out in different ways, but for the purpose of illustration only one form of the invention will be described herein. In filling containers intended to be exploded, such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mines, etc., with bursting charges, it is desirable to introduce the largest possible charge into a given space, so as to produce the maximum bursting effect. Trinitrotoluol has heretofore been used to a very large extent, because, among other reasons, it has a relatively low melting point and is, therefore, easily'melted and can be kept melted while being introduced into the shell or other body and does not freeze or solidify until it has reached the final condition in which it is to remain. The supply of trinitrotoluol, however, may not be adequate. and it is very desirable to render other materials available to replace t iaitrotoluol in whole or in part. i132 discovereda new bursting charge for Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

1918. Serial No. 226,712.

the said purpose, which is of high power; 1s safe for the purpose; and which bursting charge, though useful and available when introduced into the shell or other container in solid condition, has ingredients having melt ng points too high to permit such ingredients as a practical matter to be melted and cast into the shell. I have, therefore, invented a process by which the said ingredients can, in effect, become part of a molten mass of such low melting point as to be capable of being successfully cast into a shell. andwhich charge has such qualities that it is solidified; is highly explosive, and is easily detonated; and yet is relatively safe under all ordinary conditions other than detonation.

The trinitrotoluol used in my bursting charge may be either a crude product, such as obtained by direct nitration of toluol, or a product obtained by refining the crude product.

My new blasting charge consists of a mixture of trinitrotoluol and a substance whose molecule contains a picryloxy group (NO ,C H .O-), such as picric acid and ammonium picrate.

This blasting charge can be detonated by ordinary commercial detonators and has an explosive force substantially equal of that of trinitrotoluol.

In charging a shell, the ingredients may be pressed into the shell in a dry condition, making a compact charge which is readily detonated by the usual primer. It is desirable, however, as above stated, to cast the charge into the shell, in order to get the maximum possible weight of explosive into the shell. The picric acid and the ammonium picrate. having melting points too high to permit them to be cast under commercial conditions. I have. as stated, invented a process by which the said ingredients can, in effect, become part of a molten mass of such low melting point as to be capable of being cast into a shell.

The trinitrotoluol is melted and the desired quantity of picric acid added, keeping the temperature well above the freezing point of the mixture. I beiicve the picric acid virtually goes into solution with the melted trinitrotoluol, producing a homogeneous liquid, although I do not wish to be bound by this expression of opinion. temperatures of from 80 to 90 (3., approximately 50 parts of picric acid can be added to 50 parts of trinitrotoluol before a oint is reached where no further picric acid will dissolve in the melted trinitrotoluol.

To the mixture thus obtained, which is a material comprising molten trinitrotoluol, may then be added either picric acid or ammonium picrate, or both substances, keeping the temperature of the mixture well above its freezing point.

In case of adding further picric acid, the amount that can be added can be varied within wide limits without seriously affect ing the casting properties. This additional picric acid I believe to remain in suspension in the liquid mixture of picric acid and trinitrotoluol.

On adding the ammoniu icrate to the mixture of trinitrotoluol an picric acid, I believe the explosive to be-carried in suspension in the liquid mixture of trinitrotoluol and picric acid. The percentage of any one of the ingredients that may be added to the liquid mixture will necessarily .vary, depending upon the fineness of the explosive and somewhat upon the temperature at which the mixing is carried on.

The following formulae are typical of mixtures that can be used satisfactorily:

20% trinitrotoluol, 20% picric acid, ammonium picrate;

50% picric acid, 25% ammonium picrate.

ing picric acid in trinitrotoluol and pouring the mixture into a container ata temperature below the melting point of picric acid.

'5. The process which comprises dissolvingpicric acid in trinitrotoluol, introducingammonium picrate-into the mixture, and po1iring the mixture into a container at a temperature below the melting point of picric acid.

6. The process which comprises niixing with melted trinitrotoluol a quantity of picric acid inexcess of the amount soluble in the trinitrotoluol at temperatures below the melting point of picric acid, and pouring the mixture into a container.

7. The process of charging an explosive container comprising mixing trinitrotoluol with a quantity of picric acid greater than 50% of the amount of trinitrotoluol while maintaining the temperature of the mixture below the melting point of picric acid and pouring the mixture into the container.

8. The process of charging an explosive container which comprises adding to a ma-- terial comprising molten trinitrotoluol a quantity greater than 10% of theamount of trinitrotoluol of a substance whose molecule contains a picrylo-xy group while maintaining the temperature of the mixture well trinitrotoluol, p1cr1c acld', ammonlum picrate.

In the figure of the accompanying drawing, I have shown, more or less diagrammatically, a shell body 1, having within it a bursting charge 2 such as I have described, and having a detonating fuse 3 containing a detonator for detonating the bursting charge.

While I have described my invention above in detail, I wish it to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: a

1. The process of charging explosive containers with a mixture comprising picric above its freezing point.

9. The process of charging an explosive container comprising mixing melted trinitrotoluol with a quantity of picric acid and ammonium picrate each greater than 50% and 10% respectively of the amount of trinitrotoluol while maintaining the temperature of the mixture below the melting point of picric acid or ammonium picrate and pouring the mixtureinto the container.

10. The process of charging an explosive container which comprises mixing picric acid and another nitrated aromati compound with melted trinitrotoluol to dissolve andhold them in suspension and pouring the molten mixture into the container.

' r 11. The process of charging an explosive container which comprises mixing a substance whose molecule contains a picryloxy acid and ammonium picrate which comprises group with a material comprising molten trinitrotoluol to' dissolve and hold said sub-1 stance in suspension therein and pouring the mixture into the container.

greater than 10% of the amount of trinitrotoluol while maintaining the temperature of the mixture below the melting point of 15 ammonium picrate and pouring the mixture into the container.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

CLIFFORD A. WOODBURY.

Witnesses:

A. 'M. CoMEY, W. R. MowBBAY, JR.

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