Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise | Page 2

No. 3.--Nitro-Toluene--
Nitro-Naphthalene--Ammonite--Sprengel's Explosives--Picric Acid--
Picrates--Picric Powders--Melinite--Abel's Mixture--Brugère's
Powders-- The Fulminates--Composition, Formula, Preparation,
Danger of, &c.-- Detonators: Sizes, Composition, Manufacture--Fuses,
&c.
THE FULMINATES.
Composition, Formula, Preparation, Danger of, &c.--Detonators: Sizes,
Composition, Manufacture--Fuses, &c.

CHAPTER VI.
--SMOKELESS POWDERS IN GENERAL.
Cordite--Axite--Ballistite--U.S. Naval Powder--Schultze's E.C.
Powder-- Indurite--Vielle Poudre--Walsrode and Cooppal
Powders--Amberite-- Troisdorf--B.N. Powder--Wetterin--Normal
Powder--Maximite--Picric Acid Powders, &c. &c.

CHAPTER VII.
--ANALYSIS OF EXPLOSIVES.
Kieselguhr Dynamite--Gelatine
Compounds--Tonite--Cordite--Vaseline-- Acetone--Scheme for
Analysis of Explosives--Nitro-Cotton--Solubility Test-- Non-Nitrated
Cotton--Alkalinity--Ash and Inorganic Matter--Determination of
Nitrogen--Lungé, Champion and Pellet's, Schultze-Tieman, and
Kjeldahl's Methods--Celluloid--Picric Acid and Picrates--Resinous and
Tarry Matters-- Sulphuric Acid and Hydrochloric Acid and Oxalic
Acid--Nitric Acid-- Inorganic Impurities--General Impurities and
Adulterations--Potassium Picrate, &c.--Picrates of the
Alkaloids--Analysis of Glycerine--Residue-- Silver
Test--Nitration--Total Acid Equivalent--Neutrality--Free Fatty
Acids--Combined Fatty Acids--Impurities--Oleic Acid--Sodium
Chloride-- Determination of Glycerine--Waste Acids--Sodium
Nitrate--Mercury Fulminate--Cap Composition--Table for Correction
of Volumes of Gases, for Temperature and Pressure

CHAPTER VIII.
--FIRING POINT OF EXPLOSIVES, HEAT TESTS, &C.
Horsley's Apparatus--Table of Firing Points--The Government Heat
Test Apparatus, &c., for Dynamites, Nitro-Glycerine, Nitro-Cotton,
and Smokeless Powders--Guttmann's Heat Test--Liquefaction and
Exudation Tests-- Page's Regulator for Heat Test Apparatus--Specific
Gravities of Explosives--Will's Test for Nitro-Cellulose--Table of
Temperature of Detonation, Sensitiveness, &c.

CHAPTER IX.
--THE DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE STRENGTH OF
EXPLOSIVES.
Effectiveness of an Explosive--High and Low Explosives--Theoretical
Efficiency--M.M. Roux and Sarrau's Results--Abel and
Noble's--Nobel's Ballistic Test--The Mortar--Pressure or Crusher
Gauge--Calculation Volume of Gas Evolved, &c.--Lead
Cylinders--The Foot-Pounds Machine--Noble's Pressure Gauge--Lieut.
Walke's Results--Calculation of Pressure Developed by Dynamite and
Gun-Cotton--McNab's and Ristori's Results of Heat Developed by the
Explosion of Various Explosives--Composition of some of the
Explosives in Common Use for Blasting, &c.
INDEX

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FRONTISPIECE--Danger Building showing Protecting Mounds. 1.
Section of Nitro-Glycerine Conduit 2. Melsens System of Lightning
Conductors 3. French System 4a & 4b. English Government System 5.
Upper Portion of Nitrator for Nitro-Glycerine 6. Small Nitrator 7.
Nathan's Nitrator 8. Nitro-Glycerine Separator 9. Nitro-Glycerine
Filtering Apparatus 10. Cotton-Waste Drier 11. Dipping Tank 12.
Cooling Pits 13. Steeping Pot for Gun-Cotton 14. Hydro-Extractor or
Centrifugal Drier 15a & 15b. Gun-Cotton Beater 16a. Poacher for
Pulping Gun-Cotton 16b. Plan of same 16c. Another form of Poacher
17 & 18. Compressed Gun-Cotton 19. Hydraulic Press 20. Thomson's

Apparatus--Elevation 21. Elevation Plan 22. Trench's Safety Cartridge
23. Vessel used in Nitrating Paper 24. Cage ditto--White &
Schupphaus' Apparatus 25. Do. do. do. 26 & 27. Nitrating Pot for
Celluloid 28 & 29. Plunge Tank in Plan and Section 30. Messrs Werner,
Pfleiderer & Perkins' Mixing Machine 31. M. 'Roberts' Mixing
Machine for Blasting Gelatine 32. Plan of same 33. Cartridge Machine
for Gelatines 34. Cartridge fitted with Fuse and Detonator 35.
Gun-Cotton Primer 36. Electric Firing Apparatus 37. Metal Drum for
Winding Cordite 38. Ten-Stranding 39. Curve showing relation
between Pressures of Cordite and Black Powder, by Professor Vivian
Lewes 40. Marshall's Apparatus for Moisture in Cordite 41. Lungé's
Nitrometer 42. Modified do. 43. Horn's Nitrometer 44.
Schultze-Tieman Apparatus for Determination of Nitrogen in
Gun-Cotton 45. Decomposition Flask for Schultze-Tieman Method 46.
Abel's Heat Test Apparatus 47. Apparatus for Separation of
Nitro-Glycerine from Dynamite 48. Test Tube arranged for Heat Test
49. Page's Regulator 50. Do. showing Bye-Pass and Cut-off
Arrangement 51. Will's Apparatus 52 & 53. Curves obtained 54.
Dynamite Mortar 55. Quinan's Pressure Gauge 56. Steel Punch and
Lead Cylinder for Use with Pressure Gauge 57. Micrometer Calipers
for Measuring Thickness of Lead Cylinders 58. Section of Lead
Cylinders before and after Explosion 59. Noble's Pressure Gauge 60.
Crusher Gauge

NITRO-EXPLOSIVES.

CHAPTER I.
_INTRODUCTORY._
The Nitro-Explosives--Substances that have been Nitrated--The Danger
Area-- Systems of Professors Lodge, Zenger, and Melsens for the
Protection of Buildings from Lightning, &c.
The manufacture of the various nitro-explosives has made great
advances during late years, and the various forms of nitro-compounds
are gradually replacing the older forms of explosives, both for blasting

purposes and also for propulsive agents, under the form of smokeless
powders. The nitro-explosives belong to the so-called High Explosives,
and may be defined as any chemical compound possessed of explosive
properties, or capable of combining with metals to form an explosive
compound, which is produced by the chemical action of nitric acid,
either alone or mixed with sulphuric acid, upon any carbonaceous
substance, whether such compound is mechanically mixed with other
substances or not.[A]
[Footnote A: Definition given in Order of Council, No. 1, Explosives
Act, 1875.]
The number of compounds and mixtures included under this definition
is very large, and they are of very different chemical composition.
Among the substances that have been nitrated are:--Cellulose, under
various forms, e.g., cotton, lignin, &c.; glycerine, benzene, starch, jute,
sugar, phenol, wood, straw, and even such substances as treacle and
horse-dung. Some of these are not made upon the large scale, others are
but little used. Those of most importance are nitro-glycerine and
nitro-cellulose. The former enters into the composition of