UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. PAUL EUGie NE CEEARLEs coRBIN, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE UNIVER SELLE D'EXPLOSIES (ANCIENNEMENT: BERGES, CORBIN & CIE.), OF PARIS, FRANCE, MANUEFACTURE OF EXPLOSVES, i041,45. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 22, 1912. No Drawing. Application filed March 15, 1912. Serial No. 684,010. To all whom it may concern: manner. The explosives are granulated by 55 Be it known that I, PAUL EUGENE any desired process (in a cask or the like) CHARLEs CorBIN, a citizen of the Republic after which the grains in question are coated of France, and a resident of Paris, Seine, with a thin but sufficiently strong layer of France, have invented a new and useful black powder, or of an equivalent quick Improved Manufacture of Explosives, powder as regards inflammability and re 60 which improvement is fully set forth in the sistance to shocks, and in any case has not following specification. a dangerous or injurious action on the in A certain number of explosives exist closed explosive. The grains of explosive 10 which are of interest on account of their thus coated with powder, are put into car great safety in use, due to their comparative - tridges in the usual manner. In use, the 65 insensibility to shocks, but this quality of primer cartridge is started with a very weak safety renders it difficult to explode them primer or even with a simple slow match. when desired. . This is shown by the neces Obviously these grains with increased in 5 sity of using exclusively very powerful fir flammability can be compressed into blocks ing devices or detonators, or of manufactur instead of being left free. 70 ing the said explosives in cartridges pro For coating with powder, the following vided with a longitudinal conduit filled with process may be used, which gives good re an easily exploding powder, without which sults, more particularly with the so-called 20 it is almost certain that misfires will take granulated “Cheddite” explosives. The de place with all the resulting drawbacks and sired quantity of grains of explosive the in 75 dangers. Among such explosives may be flammability of which is to be increased is cited in the first instance explosives with introduced into a granulating cask where nitrate of ammonia known under the name upon a suitable quantity of black powder 25 of Favier explosives, which are of the so is introduced together with a water solution called “safety ' explosive type, and also of gum, the object of which is to harden the 80 those chlorate and perchlorate powders surface of the grains and to make the quick which are formed of chlorates or perchlo powder to adhere firmly thereto. The coat rates inclosed in paraffin or similar subs ing may be effected in one or several opera 30 stances, or the Cheddites. This insensi tions, alternated by periods of rotation. bility to shock is mostly accompanied by a This operation is followed by a slow dry 85 very weak inflammability, that is to say, the ing, the object of which is to evaporate the explosives in question do not ignite at once water from the gum solution. This method on contact with a flame as is the case with of carrying out the invention is given 35 black powder. This second property which merely by way of example, for it can be ap obviously may be desirable in certain cases, plied to any explosives which can be gran 90 is by no lineans indispensable, provided that ulated, and the black gunpowder can be re the insensibility to mechanical shocks is re placed by any other explosive answering the tained, as proved by the persistence and same purpose, the gum by any other suitable 40 even extension of use of the old black gun adhesive substances, and water by any other powder, the defect of which is chiefly its suitable liquid which can be subsequently 95 weakness compared with modern explo easily volatilized. sives. Therefore it has been attempted to The process hereinbefore described is so give artificially to powerful explosives effective with, for instance, explosives of 45 which are only slightly sensitive to shock, perchlorate of potash, that in the tests with and detonate badly, a great facility of ig thick Trauzl blocks the cavity formed by 100 nition to enable them to be started with the explosion is at least three times larger weak primers, even with an ordinary slow than with black gunpowder; the explosion match; that is to say, it has been attempted being started by a slow match, of the kind 50 to give to the said explosives the essential which would have been ineffectual if used quality of black powder, inflammability, with a non-coated explosive: 05 without altering their explosive power or What I claim as my invention and desire their comparative--- ". insensibility. to shocks. to secure by Letters Patent is:-- This has been achieved in the following 1. A process of the kind described which 1,041,745 consists in coating the grains of an explo causing the liquid to evaporate slowly, sub sive which is only difficultly sensitive to stantially as described. shocks and difficultly inflammable with a 4. An explosive comprising grains of an layer of easily inflammable explosive dif explosive which is difficult to detonate and 5 ficultly sensitive to shocks, substantially as is slightly inflammable, coated with a thin 25 described. layer of an explosive which is highly in 2. A process of the kind described which flammable and is difficult to detonate, sub-. consists in coating the grains of an explo stantially as described. sive which is only slightly sensitive to shocks 5. An explosive comprising grains of an 10 and slightly inflammable with a coating of explosive which is difficult to detonate and 30 black powder, substantially as described. is difficultly inflammable, coated with a thin 3. A process of the kind described which layer of black powder, substantially as de consists in first introducing a granulated ex scribed. O plosive, which is only slightly sensitive to In testimony whereof 1 have signed this 5 shocks and difficult to ignite into a cask, then specification in the presence of two sub- 35 adding the desired quantity of an easily in scribing witnesses. flammable explosive difficultly sensitive to PAUL EUGENE CHARLES CORBIN. shocks and the necessary quantity of a liquid Witnesses: - containing an adhesive in suspension, then EMILE LEDRET, rotating the cask and drying the grains by IUCIEN MEMMINGER.