The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

350 DYNAMITE AND OTHER HIGH EXPLOSIVES
non-explosive combustible materials, such as rosin, sulfur, charcoal,
flour, sugar, oil, or paraffin. Substances of the latter class
react with the oxygen which the ammonium nitrate would otherwise
liberate; they produce additional gas and heat, and increase
both the power of the explosive and the temperature of its explosion.
Pure ammonium nitrate has a temperature of explosion of
about 1120° to 1130°. Ammonium nitrate explosives permissible
in the United States generally produce instantaneous temperatures
between 1500° and 2000°.
Among the first permissible explosives developed in France
were certain ones of the Belgian Favier type which contained
no nitroglycerin and consisted essentially of ammonium nitrate,
sometimes with other nitrates, along with a combustible material
such as naphthalene or nitrated naphthalene or other aromatic
nitro compounds. These explosives have remained the
favorites in France for use in coal mines. The method of manufacture
is simple. The materials are ground together in a wheel
mill, and the mass is broken up, sifted, and packed in paraffined
paper cartridges. The compositions of the mixtures are those
which calculations show to give the desired temperatures of explosion.
Grisourites roches, permissible for use in rock, have
temperatures of explosion between 1500° and 1900°; Grisounites
couches, for use in coal, below 1500°. Several typical compositions
are listed below.
Ammonium
nitrate
Potassium
nitrate
Dinitronaphthalene.Trinitronaphthalene.
Tetryl
Grisounaphtaliteroche
91.5
8.5
Grisounaphtaliternrhp
salp&r^e
86.5
5.0
8.5
,,
Grisounaphtalitecouche
95
t t
, t
5
GrisounaphtalitepminVip
salpetree
90
5
5
Grisout&rylitecouche
88
5
7