U.S. patent number 3,617,405 [Application Number 04/006,573] was granted by the patent office on 1971-11-02 for incendiary composition containing a metal, metal alloy, oxidizer salt, and nitrated organic compound.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army. Invention is credited to Thomas Stevenson.
United States Patent |
3,617,405 |
Stevenson |
November 2, 1971 |
INCENDIARY COMPOSITION CONTAINING A METAL, METAL ALLOY, OXIDIZER
SALT, AND NITRATED ORGANIC COMPOUND
Abstract
In an incendiary composition consisting essentially of about 50
percent by eight of metal powder from the class consisting of
zirconium, titanium, and uranium in a particle size of 20 to 60
mesh, about 221/2 percent by weight of 50-50 alloy of magnesium and
aluminum, and about 221/2 percent by weight of an oxidizer from the
class consisting of barium nitrate and potassium perchlorate, the
combination therewith of the improvement enabling said composition
to retain impact sensitivity under elevated temperature storage for
a longer period of time, and to process a longer duration of
burning, said improvement consisting essentially of about 5 percent
by weight of an explosive from the class consisting of
trinitrotoluene (TNT), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), and
cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), whereby such composition is
adapted for embodiment in small caliber projectiles containing no
fuze to retain its impact sensitivity against a thin aluminum
sheet.
Inventors: |
Stevenson; Thomas (Huntingdon
Valley, PA) |
Assignee: |
The United States of America as
represented by the Secretary of the Army (N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
21721542 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/006,573 |
Filed: |
February 3, 1960 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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736932 |
May 21, 1958 |
2951752 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
149/39; 149/38;
149/43; 149/93; 149/114; 149/42; 149/92; 149/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C06B
33/08 (20130101); C06C 15/00 (20130101); Y10S
149/114 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
C06B
33/08 (20060101); C06C 15/00 (20060101); C06B
33/00 (20060101); C06b 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/6,24,11,2,2.1,4,15
;149/39,42,43,38,92,93,105,114 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Padgett; Benjamin R.
Assistant Examiner: Lechert, Jr.; Stephen J.
Parent Case Text
This invention relates to a metal powder incendiary composition of
the type disclosed in the prior application of Thomas Stevenson,
Ser. No. 736,932, filed May 21, 1958 for "Incendiary Composition"
now U.S. Pat. No. 2,951,752 of which the present application is a
continuation-in-part, and has for an object to provide an
incendiary composition which is better adapted to retain its impact
sensitivity during storage under elevated temperatures in the
desert, ships, and tropics. Another object is to provide such a
material having a longer burst duration than did that mentioned
above.
Claims
I claim:
1. In an incendiary composition consisting essentially of about 50
percent by weight of metal powder from the class consisting of
zirconium, titanium, and uranium in a particle size of 20 to 60
mesh, about 221/2percent by weight of 50--50 alloy of magnesium and
aluminum, and about 221/2 percent by weight of an oxidizer from the
class consisting of barium nitrate and potassium perchlorate, the
combination therewith of the improvement enabling said composition
to retain impact sensitivity under elevated temperature storage for
a longer period of time, and to process a longer duration of
burning, said improvement consisting essentially of about 5 percent
by weight of an explosive from the class consisting of
trinitrotoluene (TNT), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), and
cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), whereby such composition is
adapted for embodiment in small caliber projectiles containing no
fuze to retain its impact sensitivity against a thin aluminum
sheet.
2. An incendiary composition yielding prolonged burst duration and
improved sensitivity after storage over prolonged periods of time
at elevated temperatures, consisting essentially of about 50
percent by weight of zirconium having a particle size of about 20
to 60 mesh, about 22.5 percent by weight of potassium perchlorate
as an oxidizing agent, about 22.5 percent by weight of a 50--50
alloy of magnesium-aluminum as a preliminary fuel, and about 5
percent by weight of trinitrotoluene, whereby the mixture retains
impact sensitivity at elevated temperatures for long periods of
time.
3. An incendiary composition consisting essentially of about 50
percent to 75 percent by weight of a metallic fuel having a
particle size of 20 to 60 mesh from the class consisting of
zirconium, titanium, and uranium, about 19.5 percent to 23.5
percent by weight of oxidizing material from the class consisting
of potassium perchlorate and barium nitrate, about 19.5 percent to
23.5 percent by weight of a powdered 50--50 alloy of magnesium and
aluminum, and about 3 percent to 11 percent of an explosive from
the class consisting of "trinitrololuene, pentaerythritol
tetranitrate, and cyclotrimethylene trinitramine" whereby a longer
burst duration is possible and there is improved retention of
impact sensitivity under storage under higher than normal room
temperatures.
Description
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or
for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to
me of any royalty thereon.
A long sought-after goal for incendiary compositions has been
duration of burst or length of burning time for the composition.
The present invention has been found to give about a 15 percent
longer burning time than did that disclosed in the aforesaid prior
application.
The incendiary material in said prior application marked a
substantial advance in the incendiary art due largely to the
lengthened burst duration. One disadvantage was discovered to
reside in reduced impact sensitivity on impingement of a projectile
upon an aluminum sheet such as are used on aircraft, after having
been in storage under temperatures above normal room temperature.
The exact cause of the reduction in impact sensitivity is not known
with certainty but according to one theory may be due to the
presence of an oxide film of perhaps only molecular thickness
forming on some or all of the metal particles.
The exact manner in which the present improved composition acts to
lengthen duration of burst is not sure and neither is it known how
and why such composition is effective in retaining the impact
sensitivity of the incendiary.
A preferred embodiment of the improved incendiary material of this
invention includes about:
A. FIFTY PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF ZIRCONIUM PARTICLES OF A SIZE FROM 20
TO 60 MESH, 22.5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF POTASSIUM PERCHLORATE IN ITS
USUAL POWDERED FORM, 22.5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A 50--50 ALLOY OF
MAGNESIUM AND ALUMINUM IN ITS ORDINARY POWDERED FORM AS HAS BEEN
USED IN PREVIOUS INCENDIARY COMPOSITIONS, AND 5 PERCENT BY WEIGHT
OF AN EXPLOSIVE SUCH AS TRINITROTOLUENE, FAMILIARLY KNOWN AS
TNT.
Instead of zirconium, titanium or uranium have given substantially
equivalent results for some purposes when in the 20 to 60 mesh size
mentioned, although zirconium has been found to give slightly
better results. The larger the percentage of such metal fuel used
in this particle size the longer will be the burst duration.
Perhaps 75 percent by weight may be an upper limit for the
zirconium, titanium, and uranium in the 20 to 60 mesh size. No
lower limit has been mentioned for these burning metals because the
lower the percentage used the smaller is the expected burst
duration, something not usually desired. In one view a preferred
composition may be regarded as a compromise between burst duration
and the advantages of the other materials listed.
Instead of potassium perchlorate as an oxidizer, barium nitrate has
been found useful in the same percentage. Why these two oxidation
materials are suitable is not known. As the quantity of zirconium
or its equivalent is increased the quantity of the other materials
must be reduced while maintaining about the same weight of oxidizer
as magnesium-aluminum alloy and about the same ratio of explosive
to the oxidizer and alloy maintained.
The alloy of magnesium and aluminum is used in the same powdered
form in which it has previously been used with potassium
perchlorate as an incendiary. Its function in the present invention
is the same as it was in the prior Stevenson invention and
application mentioned hereinafter and of which this application is
a continuation-in-part. It is believed to function as an igniter
and impact sensitive starter to assist in igniting the zirconium,
titanium, or uranium in the 20 to 60 mesh particle size. This
larger particle size then had been customary in much of the prior
art, had not been used prior to said Stevenson invention referred
to above and was found to be difficult to ignite, which is why the
magnesium-aluminum alloy powder is used.
Other explosives than the TNT mentioned above may be used. Among
such may be mentioned PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) or RDX
(cyclotrimethylene trinitramine), all of which are well known
explosives. The exact action of the explosive in making possible
longer burst duration and retention of impact sensitivity by the
composition is not known but it is believed to act as an overall
sensitizer to impact.
The present invention is intended principally for small caliber
projectiles carrying no fuze. The need solved by this invention
does not arise with larger caliber projectiles because they are
usually equipped with a fuze and therefore need not be sensitive to
impact when dependent on a fuze to ignite the incendiary material.
However the excellent incendiary bursts described for small arms
projectiles could be obtained more easily with fused projectiles.
In practice it would be found necessary to optimize the proportion
of ingredients in the basic formula for best results in other
calibers.
Other examples of compositions include about the following
percentages by weight:
b. zirconium, titanium or uranium of 20 to 60 mesh size of
particles 75 percent, potassium perchlorate or barium nitrate 10
percent, magnesium-aluminum alloy powder 10 percent, TNT, PETN, or
RDX, 5 percent,
c. zirconium, titanium, or uranium, 50 percent, potassium
perchlorate or barium nitrate 20.5 percent, magnesium-aluminum
alloy 20.5 percent, TNT, PETN, or RDX 9 percent,
d. zirconium, titanium or uranium, 50 percent, potassium
perchlorate or barium nitrate, 23.5 percent, magnesium-aluminum
alloy, 23.5 percent, TNT, PETN, or RDX 3 percent,
e. fifty percent metallic fuel such as zirconium, titanium or
uranium, 19.5 percent potassium perchlorate or barium nitrate, 19.5
percent of the 50--50 magnesium and aluminum alloy, and 11 percent
explosive such as TNT, PETN, or RDX.
Of these five examples, that mentioned first containing about 5
percent of the explosive mix and 50 percent of the metallic fuel
for nonfused projectiles seemed to be the best. In each example the
metal fuel including zirconium, titanium or uranium, is always in
the 20 to 60 mesh particle size.
This invention should be distinguished from the prior use of much
more finely divided zirconium in a primer composition when the
zirconium is quick burning and unsuitable for the long burning
incendiary of this invention. The present inventor was the first to
use the present large particle size for zirconium and in order to
do so he had to make and have made such metal in the desired size
of particles because none was on the market when he made this
invention. The present invention should also be distinguished from
the finely divided particles of amorphorous black zirconium when
made slow burning for use in a powder train by means of tightly
packing it or by means of a relatively poor or slowly active
oxidizer such as barium chromate or strontium chromate.
This invention would be unnecessary for sensitivity improvement
were it certain that the projectiles would always strike a heavier
structural member of an aircraft than a thin aluminum sheet.
* * * * *