US1329211A - Nitrostarch explosive and method of manufacturing same - Google Patents

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UNITED STATES PATENT ornion WALTER 0. SNELLING AND WILLIAM R. LAMS, or ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA,. ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To TROJAN POWDER COMPANY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

NITROSTARCI-I EXPLOSIVE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

No Drawing,

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, WALTER O. SNELL- ING and WILLIAM R. LAMS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Allentown, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Nitrostarch Explosives and Methods of Manufacturing Same, of Which the folloWing'is a specification.

Our invention relates to organic nitrate explosives and more particularly to nitrostarch explosives and their manufacture.

The problem of stabilizing nitro-starch in the preparation of nitro-starch explosives presents difliculties, by reason of the fact that certain organic bodies well recognized as among the best stabilizing agents forv other nitro-explosives, have not been usable with nitro-starch Without injurious effect upon the explosive. Nitro-starch is very readily colloided by a large number of organic substances, and such colloidization,

even when it is only superficial and does not extend materially into the substance of the nitro-starch granules, acts injurionsly upon the nitro-starch. The stability of nitrostarch Which is partly colloided is usually much less than is the corresponding stability of the uncolloided nitro-starch, and the sensitiveness to detonation is also infiuenced, colloided' nitro-starch being much We have discovered that the presence of a heavy mineral oil, such as a medium or heavy lubricating oil, tends to wholly prevent the colloiding action of basic stabilizing agents, without lessening in any way their stabilizlng properties. W e find that Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

Application filed June 22, 1918. Serial No. 241,354.

a heavy lubricating oil will dissolve from ten to thirty per cent. .of its weight of dlphenylamin for example (the solvent action being greatly facilitated by Warming the oil somewhat), and that this mixture of o1l and diphenylamm has stabilizing, but not colloidmg, properties. It appears that the oil acts as a protection against colloidization of the 'nitro-starch, the oil probably covering the surface of the nitro-starch granules with a thin film, and this film of oil-saturated nitro-starch resisting the colloidizing action of the stabilizing agent.

In the practice of our invention, We use only small amounts of oil, and very smallamounts .of the stabilizing agent. For ex.- ample, with a finished explosive containing 25% of nitro-starch, and .a total of about 7 0% of sodium and ammonium nitrates, We may use from one-half of one per cent. to a total of about 2% of oil, and this oil contains from 20% to 50% of its weight of the stabilizing agent, thus making the total amount of stabilizing agent in the explosive vary from about one-tenth to three-tenths per cent.

As an illustration of a nitro-starch powder made up according to the present invention,

we give the following formula Nitrated starch 25.0% Ammonium nitrate. 33. 0% Sodium nitrate 38.2% Charcoal 2.0% Sodium bicarbonate .5% Oil 1.0% Diphenylamin .3% 4

In making such an explosive, the oil is preferably warmed to about (1., and the proper amount'of diphenylamin is dissolved in it. This treated. oil is then preferably added to the mixture ofsodium and ammonium nitrates, and this mixture is rolled or stirred until all of the grains of the sodium and ammonium nitrate have been thoroughly coated with a thin film of the treated oil. Preferably the sodium and ammonium nitrates are quite warm before this mixing takes place, so as to prevent too quick a chilling of the treated oil, which would precipitate some of the dissolved di-1' phenylamin. The other ingredients of the powder are then mixed with the oil treated nitrates in any suitable manner. If desired the nitrated starch may also be prelimmarily treated with the solution of stabilizing agent in oil.

By dissolving the stabilizing agent in oil,

we obtain the further advantage of its uniform distribution. Most sodium nitrate contains small amounts of iodids and iodates, and these two substances, by mutual reaction, set free minute amounts of iodin,

an adjacent nitro-starch granule and injuring it. By dissolving diphenylamin in oil,

- and then stirring the sodium and ammonium nitrate grains with a minute amount of this treated oil, each particle of the nitrate becomes coated with a film of the diphenylamin-containing oil, and accordingly any traces of iodin set free by reaction within that grain is caught on the surface of the grain by the diphenylamin there present,

and is prevented from reaching the nitrostarch granules, although these alsohave a minute film of the diphenylamin-containing 'oil on them, thus giving a second point at which any traces of iodin may be caught.

While we prefer, in carrying out our invention, to dissolve the stabilizing agent in oil before incorporating said agent with other ingredients, other methodsof manufacture may be employed. For example, di-

phen'ylamin free from oil, can be added to the'heated sodium nitrate, or to the mixture of sodium and ammonium nitrates, and the heated mixture rolled or tumbled for some time at a temperature of preferably about 50 C. or higher. Nitro-starch, previously mixed with a sufficient quantity of a heavy mineral oil to coat the nitro-starch particles with a thin film of said oil, is then thoroughly mixed with the treated inorganic nitrate, and the oil serves its function of protecting the nitro-sta'rch grains fromthe colloiding effect of the diphenylamin.

By referring in our specification to diphefnylamin as a suitable stabilizing agent for the practice of our invention, we do not, in

its broader aspects, 'wish to be limited to that particular agent, as other stabilizing agents having colloiding properties may be successfully employed with nitrostarch by the method above outlined-such for exsolve said organic agent.

. and preventing colloidization of the nitrodissolving said agent in oil and thoroughly mixing therewith the nitro-starch to disseminate the stabilizing agent uniformly among the nitro-starch particles. I 2. The method ofi treating nitro-starch which consists in thoroughly mixing the same with an organic colloiding agent in the presence of mineral oil in sufiicient' quantity to provide the nitro-starch particles with a coating of said oil and thereby prevent col- 'loiding of the nitro-starch by the organic body.

3. The method of treating nitro-starch which consists in thoroughly mixing the same with an organic stabilizing agent in the presence of a heavy mineral oil in sulficient quantity to substantially; wholly dis- 4. The method of treating nitro-starch which consists in acting thereon With an organic body in the presence of an oil solvent thereof, thereby stabilizing the nitro-starch starch by the organic body.

5. The method of treating nitro-starch which consists in acting thereon in the pres ence of mineral oil with an organic body containing an amino group.

6. The method of stabilizing nitro-starch which consists in acting thereon with diphenylamin in the presence of a heavy mineral oil.

7. The method of manufacturing nitrostarch explosives containing an inorganic nitrate which consists in thoroughly mixing said nitrate with a minute quantity of a mineral oil solution of an organic body possessing the property of stabilizing nitro-starch, and then incorporating with the oil-treated nitrate the nitro-starch and other ingredientsof the explosive mixture.

8. The method of manufacturing nitrostarch explosives containing an inorganic nitrate which consists in thoroughly mixing saidnitrate with a minute quantity of a mineral oil solution of an organic body containing an amino group, and then incorporating with the oil-treated nitrate the nitro-starch and other ingredients of the eX- plosive mixture.

9. The method of manufacturing nitrostarch explosives containing an inorganic nitrate which consists in mixing said nitrate with diphenylamin dissolved in a heavy mineral oil, and then incorporating with the treated nitrate the nitro-starch and other ingredients. 10. The method of manufacturing nitrostarch explosives containing an. inorganic nitrate which consists in mixing said nitrate with a minute quantity of a mineral oil solu-' tion of an organic body possessing the prop-- erty of stabilizing nitro-starch and then incorporating therewith nitrd-starch thoroughly mixed with a minu mineral'oil.

t quantity of 11. The method of manufacturing nitrostarch explosives containing an inorganic nitrate which consists in dissolving diphenylamin-in a heavy mineral oil at a temperature of about 80 C'.,vthoroughly mixing with the inorganic nitrate a sufficient quantity of said solution to thoroughly coat the particles of said nitrate with-a thin film of said oil,

and then incorporating with the oil-treated nitrate the nitro-starch and other ingredients of the explosive mixture.

12. A nitro-staLrch explosive containing an organic stabilizing agent and a mineral oil;-

13. A nitro-starch explosive containing diphenylamin and a mineral oil.

my in tenths 14:. A nitro-starch explosive containing diphenylamin and a mineral oil,-the diphenylamin constituting from about onetenth to about three-tenths per cent. by

weight of the entireexplosive mixture.

nitrates, approximately 70%; diphenylamin approximately .1% to .3%; and mmeral oil approximately .5% to 27 .17. An explosive mixture comprising Intro-starch approximately 25% ammonium nitrate approximately 33%; sodium nitrate, approximately 38%; charcoal, approximately 2%; sodium bicarbonate, approximately .5%; diphenylamin, approximately 7 3%; mineral oil, approximately 1%.

' WALT-ER o. SNELLING! WILLIAM R. LAMS.

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