US2435610A - Funnel for casting explosive charges - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 10, 1948.

c. F. SCHNEIDER 2,435,610

FUNNEL FOR, CASTING EXPLOSIVE CHARGES Filed April 30, 1941 v INVENTOR Charles F". Schneider Patented Feb. 10, 1948 FUNNEL FOR CASTING EXPLOSIVE CHARGES Charles F. Schneider, San Antonio, Tex. Application April 30, 1941, Serial No. 391,120 '1 Claims. (01. 86-31) (Granted under the act of March 3, amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to meof any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to a method for filling a high explosive shell and apparatus therefor.

. In the past shells have been filled with T. N. T. by pouring molten T. N. T. in the shell and then performinga manual breaking down or puddling operation. It was found that each individual particle of the T. N. T. would not cool at the same rate, 1. e., the particles adjacent to the metal envelope of the shell and the particles forming the upper surface of the T. N. T. would solidify first and form a crust-like structure around'the internal molten liquid. This condition is found to be readily attributed to the fact that the metal envelope of the shell and the air above the surface of the shell conducts heat away from the adjacent T. N. T. particles at a greater rate than supplied by the internal particles and to the fact that the density of solid T. N. T. is greater than the density of liquid T. N. T. If the T. N. T'. were allowed to cool as indicated, minute voids wouldappear within the body of the T. N. T. and as a result the maximum amount of explosive per cubic inch of shell is not realized; also the effectiveness of the detonation of the T. N. T. would not be fully realized and in some cases the T. N. T. would not be detonated by the booster charge.

To guard against the presence of these undesirable voids in the body of the T. N. T. in the past, small amounts of T. N. T. were progressively poured in the shell and allowed to cool and during the cooling period external manually operated means were employed to'break up the crust formation. This process of course was time consuming and required the continued vigilance of the operating personnel.

According to the present invention the voids are greatly reduced or eliminated as seen from the fact that the density of the T. N. T. loaded according to my invention has been found to be 1.65 as compared to a density of 1.55 which was obtained according to the prior art practise. Also the shell is, according to my invention, filled in a shorter period of time with less operating personal.

An object of my invention is to provide a method for filling a shell with T. N. T. or other material having a higher density when in the solid state than when in the liquid state, so that a dense packing of the T. N. T. or other material within the shell results.

stem 6. The air In its broader aspects my invention relates to a method and apparatus for filling a container with a material which shrinks in size when it passes from the liquidto the solid state; an object of my invention is to produce a dense packing of such a material in the container.

Another object of my invention is to produce a. densely packed shell with the use of compressed gas.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention resides in the method and novel arrangement and combination of elements necessary to produce a dense loading of a container in a manner and of the type hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 discloses the disposition of the liquid T. N. T. in the shell and funnel after the T.-. N. T. has been poured and the cap has been screwed on the funnel.

Fig. 2 discloses the disposition of the T. N. T. in the shell after it has solidified under gas pressure.

Fig. 3 discloses a plan view of the filling funnel with the cap removed.

Fig. 4 discloses a plan view of the filling funnel with the cap in place.

The numeral I designates the metal shell. The

funnel 2 is made of heat insulating material and has screw threads so that it might be screwed in the opening of the shell. The gasket 3 is made of rubber and serves to make the connection between the funnel 2 and the shell I gastight. The upper portion of the funnel has screw threads which are adapted to be engaged by the screw threads on the hexagon headed cap 4. The rubber gasket 5 serves to make the joint between the funnel and funnel cap gastight. The cap 4 may be made of metal or of a heat-insulating material an is preferably made of heat insulating material in order to prevent a too rapid cooling of the T. N. T. in the funnel.

Provisions are made to introduce air above the N. T. through a conventional bicycle tube valve pressure above the T. N. T. is maintained at approximately lbs. per square inch during the cooling operation.

T. N. T. is molten at temperatures above 176 approximately. Molten T. N. T. is poured in the funnel until the level of the T. N. T. almost reaches the top of the funnel as indicated in Fig.

pressure above the T. N. T. is not critical for efiective operation of this method so that by mak-P ing the gas space above the T.N;' T. large; comparison to the increase in volume due to the solidification of the T. N. T., further application of gas pressure during the solidification process would not be necessary. Otherwise, it'n'iiglit'be' necessary to maintain a high pressure by :perfna-I nently or periodically connecting the valve. 6 to a source of constant pressurelfThefuse'OfLthe funnel and cap of a material of highheat ifisu' -"go lating value insures that the T. N. T. contained in the funne1 will remain=molten during the solidification of the charge in 'thei'shell-ca'se" and will thus 'be available to replenish shrinkage in the shell as it occurs. 1P

Enough molten TN. T. is poured in the funnel so that after the solidification process the T. N. T. is'disposed as indicated in'FigQZ." 'It is then nec essary' to remove some of the T. N. T-. in the shell to make room tor the booster charge. After the solidification process the funnel is removed and sufiicient T. N. TLis theircut out of the shell so that the boosterrnay behccommbdated.

Iclaim:"

1. An apparatus for filling a container with a molten explosive" 'chargef'which solidifies upon cooling and has-la greater density in'j th e solid state than' in' the molten 'st'ate, comprising a funnel of heat insulating material for the container,

means for making airtight connection between 40 the funnel and the container, a' cap (of; heat in'sulatin'g material for thefu'nnel, means for making an air-tight joint between the. cap and r n er, and means for introducing pressure to 'th e int'erior of the funnel.

2. The invention claimed in claim 1; charac terized in that the capis provided 'central lyjj with an opening and has a valve insaid openingjfor' controllingthe fiowof pressure to thejntcrior 'of the funnel. I

35 An apparatus for filling a shelljvlithamolten Y explosive charge which solidifies upon cooling and has a greater density in the; solid state] than'jin.

the molten state, comprising a funnel'of heat insulating material for said shell; means for making an airtight connection between the iunneljand, the shell; 2. cap" for said funnel also of heat insuj lating material, means 'ior' making an airtight connection between the" cap and tunnel, an open y;

ing' in said cap v and af valve in the 'opening for.

controllng the fiow ci pressure to theinterigr'oi. the 'funnel andits escapetherefromi f f 4. The process -of' filling a container with a molten explosive charge whichj solidifies upon cooling and has ahigher'den sity in the solidified. 5

state than in themoltenstate, which comprises heating the solid to a temperature to bring .itfto' a moltenstate, filling the container with the, sub"- stance in a molten state and keeping asubstan- 25 a portion of the molten explosive tial fraction. of the molten substance in contact with the substance in the container by the application of a constant pressure thereto during filling, and maintaining said fraction at a higher temperature than the substance in the container by insulating said fraction from the surrounding atmosphere. r I

5.' 'The -process described in 4 claim "4; 'wherein the supply of molten substance is maintained under fluid pressure in excess of that of the surroundingatmosphere.

6.' The method of filling a shell with a molten explosive charge which solidifies upon cooling a'nd whi'ch'khas a greater density in the solid state than inthemolten state, comprising the steps of se- "cili'ifig a heat insulating funnel to the shell in airtight .relation, melting the explosive material, pouring the moltenmaterial into said funnel to fill tl ej'shellandiat'least partially fill said funnel, sealing the top of the funnel with a heat insufii si= t 0n inua ap y n fluid P e sure to t sufia f hs m snexn ve i if nel duringi fining; ar a anowirig the" ch solidify in said shell whereb' heat u atin "as mixes in. the shell as ih 'jcharee' reinsq "I. h th dporjnlnng. a. she-1. w'i. x qs ve rg hivhysolidifiesu and which hasa g eater'densfiy injthe olidst '5 h ni e'mqlten' t .;c mn is eii fl s c sa at insu ating. t n l. oJt lfs el iii; airtight relation melting the explosive mater; ,1', p r the ol en matmali toj d mi t'o; fill the 'shell an'd also the:Turihe the iq'un t se v t 1 hf1l .e q'a on'q jre"the in;i a1ifl e n f. the runnei witu neatin ui d, s u e .in ?ll$ 1. suriace of the molten .explosiv a d'a lbw i efl arsetqso im y whereby, room is inadeiora. porti li $1.; explosive forced, fror n the heatinsyl; "g tunnel to fill S in e. i e i it elll'a ih har e;

therein solidifies.

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