United States Patent Office 2,978,864
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2,978,864 United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 11, 1961 2 use of previously known explosives containing ammonium nitrate by reason of the fact that they can be easily and 2,978,864 simply prepared at the site at which they are to be used. In many instances, the explosives can be prepared di AMMONUMNTRATE EXPLOSIVES rectly in the bore hole by simply placing the ammonium Leonard A. Stengel, Terre Haute, Ind., assignor to Com nitrate charge in the bore hole and passing a suitable mercial Solvents Corporation, Terre Haute, Ind., a amount of gaseous monomethylamine through the am-- corporation of Maryland - monum nitrate therein. - - My new explosive compositions can also be prepared No Drawing. Filed May 19, 1958, ser, No. 735,987 O in the bore hole by dissolving the monomethylamine and 7 Claims. (CI. 60-35.4) a liquid in which it is soluble, such as ethanol, and pouring the resulting amine solution over the ammonium nitrate charge. The charge can, of course, include car bon black, fuel oil, or other ingredients ordinarily incor My invention relates to new ammonium nitrate com 5 porated into ammonium nitrate explosive compositions. positions, and more particularly to compositions pre The ammonium nitrate-monomethylamine compositions pared from ammonium nitrate and monomethylamine of my invention require primer charges to initiate and which are suitable for use as explosives and propellants propagate detonation waves through the charge. If the and to processes for using same. bore hole in which the exjplosive is to be detonated is Ammonium nitrate has long been known to be flam 20 wet, horizontal, or slanting, the ammonium nitrate may mable and explosive and these properties have been made be placed in a container such as a polyethylene. bag or use of extensively. For example, ammonium nitrate is metal cartridge and the monoethylamine or monomethyl now widely used as an explosive although it possesses amine solution introduced into the container or cartridge certain inherent disadvantages, such as low density, and just prior to its insertion in the bore hole. In this man relative insensitivity. ner all of the hazards of mixing and transporting the fin It is a well known fact that ammonium nitrate ex 3 ished explosive compositions are avoided. It should be plosives, as used in normal mining operations, are usually noted that the incorporation of the monomethylamine incapable of propagating a sufficient detonation wave. into the ammonium nitrate mixture at the site of, usage through the ammonium nitrate explosive to detonate com reduces the necessity of preparing large amounts of the pletely a column of explosive. It is also well known 30 sensitive explosive at any one place, and thereby ma-. that the ammonium nitrate explosives customarily used ..., terially reduces the hazard to life and health of the per are insensitive to such a degree as to require the use sonnel working in the area. re. of a primer charge to initiate the explosion, as well as My ammonium nitrate compositions consist essentially to reinforce the detonation propagation wave as the ex of ammonium nitrate and monomethylamine. To these plosion front passes through the explosive. Ammonium 3 5 compositions I can add from 1 to 20% inert additives. nitrate has been considered for use as a propellant but . Such additives must be inert to the extent that they do has not been found generally suitable for various rea not react with ammonium nitrate, monomethylamine, or SOS, other additives present in the compositions in such a I have now discovered that combinations of ammonium manner as to materially reduce the desired explosive nitrate with varying amounts of monomethylamine, rang 40 ing from 2 to 40% by weight based on the weight of or propellant properties of the mixture. The inert addi the ammonium nitrate, can be advantageously employed tives may be introduced into my mixtures to sensitize. either as explosives or as propellants. Compositions or desensitize them, to add oxidizing or reducing poten containing the lower percentages of monomethylamine tials to the compositions, to catalyze the burning rate of: are most effective as explosives, being generally more the compositions, to make the mixtures hypergollic with effective explosives than other previously known ammo 45 strong oxidants, to depress the freezing points of the nium nitrate explosives. As the amount of monomethyl mixtures, to lower the average molecular weight of the amine is increased beyond a preferred amount the sensi exhaust gases or to reduce the burning temperatures of tivity decreases, and with this reduced sensitivity the the mixtures. Any materials known to perform or ca practical utility of the composition as a propellant in ble of performing these functions in ammonium nitrate 50 explosives can be used in my compositions. Fuels which creases. Such compositions of higher monomethylamine I have found to be useful in my explosives include content are not only highly effective propellants but also ammonia; metals, such as aluminum or magnesium; possess the important added advantage of being decidedly petroleum fractions, such as fuel oil; wood flour; carbon more economical than some propellants presently avail black; alcohols, such as methanol or ethanol; etc. I able for use in ballistic projectiles, rockets, and the like. prefer to use fuel oil as the fuel in my explosive com It is extremely dangerous to prepare ammonium ni 55 positions due to the fact that it is an inexpensive and trate explosives containing trinitrotoluene or other similar easily handled liquid. Where fuel oil is added to the explosives outside of a permanent industrial explosives explosive, the monomethylamine must be introduced into factory meeting all known safety requirements and run the ammonium nitrate prior to the addition of the added by personnel experienced in the manufacture of explo 60 fuel. Inert fuels which I have found to be useful in sives. Furthermore, the ammonium nitrate and carbona my propellant compositions include metals, such as mag ceous materials ordinarily used therewith must be thor nesium and aluminum; ammonia; unsymmetrical dimeth oughly mixed and combined in equipment which is only ylhydrazine; hydrazine, etc. I have found that salts, found in an industrial plant for the manufacture of ex such as ammonium perchlorate, lithium perchlorate, etc., plosives. As large amounts of ammonium nitrate and can be used to increase oxidizing potentials in my pro sensitizers are always present in factory operations, there 65 pellant mixtures, while water can be used to lower the is the ever present danger of disastrous explosions which combustion temperature of my mixtures. may demolish the area surrounding the industrial plant My mixtures are hypergollic with red and white fum for the production of explosives. ing nitric acid when more than about 15 to 20% by - My new compositions containing ammonium nitrate weight of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine is added to as the essential explosive ingredient are not subject to 70 my monomethylamine-ammonium nitrate mixtures. the hazards in production and handling present in the Thus, small amounts of red fuming nitric acid can be - -, 2,978,804 S 4. utilized as an igniter for gas generators or mono by weight ammonium nitrate-7.9% monomethylamine propellant systems and excellent bipropellant Systems mixture was found to require only a 70 g. pressed tetryl can be obtained from various mixtures of my invention booster to completely detonate a column of explosive and red and white fuming nitric acid. having a length of 28' and a minimum diameter of 7'. The ammonium nitrate compositions of my invention M The liquid compositions of my invention containing containing amounts of monomethylamine ranging from from about 15-40% monomethylamine are relatively in 2 to 12% by weight, serve as highly effective explosives. sensitive and have far greater stability than other known I have found, however, that compositions containing propellants such as n-propyl nitrate, 78% and 100% amounts of monomethylamine as low as 2% are satis hydrogen peroxide, etc. In fact, I have determined that factory in ammonium nitrate compositions containing car O the liquid compositions of my invention have about the bonaceous materials or other inert additives customarily same order of sensitivity as pure ammonium nitrate at used in ammonium nitrate explosives. My explosives sea level pressure. may be solids or fluids and are much more powerful I have found that the liquid compositions of my than previously known ammonium nitrate explosives. I invention can be readily utilized in reaction motors prefer to use about 6.5 to 9.0% monomethylamine in 5 adapted for use with monopropellants. My compositions my ammonium nitrate explosives. I have found that an containing from about 6 to about 15% monomethylamine explosive mixture containing 7.95% by weight of mono have specific impulses up to about 200 seconds at 250 methylamine has the following properties when compared p.s.i.a. and density impulses of about 300 seconds. To with a number of commercial explosives, using nitro utilize the compositions of my invention I merely flow 20 them, at a desired rate, into a combustion chamber con glycerine as the standard: taining a suitable heating element, such as a white hot Ratio Ratio Ratio Ratio platinum grid, to initiate combustion. Once combustion Loading Rate of Deto- Deto- Work of has begun the heating element can be removed or may Composition Density, Deto- nation nation Adia. gms.fcc. nation Temp. Pressure batic Ex remain within the reaction motor to catalyze the burn panSOIl ing rate of the propellant. 25 As previously stated, compositions containing from Nitroglycerin.---- 1, 60 .00 1.000 1,000 .000 about 15 to about 40% monomethylamine are useful as 50%dynamite------- Ammonia 1,50 0.83 0.770 0.706 0.859 fuels for gas generators and air-breathing engines, and Ammonium Ni as fuels for bipropellant systems.