=ABBCITE.=--A coal-mine explosive made by Kynoch,
Ltd. The original composition which passed the Woolwich
Test was--
Ammonium nitrate 80
Nitroglycerine 10
Wood meal 10
To enable it to pass the Rotherham Test sodium chloride
was added, and a little dinitro-toluene was also introduced--
ABBCITE NO. 2.
_Date of Permit_ 3-7-15
Ammonium nitrate 58
Nitroglycerine 8·5
Wood meal 9
Dinitro-toluene 1·5
Sodium chloride 23
Limit charge 18 oz.
Power (swing of ballistic pendulum) 2·54”
The permit has now been repealed.
=ABELITE.=--A coal-mine explosive made by the Lancashire
Explosives Co. Two formulas were approved--
No. 1. No. 4.
_Date of Permit_ 7-4-14 15-1-15
Ammonium nitrate 68·5 67
Dinitro-benzene 7 --
Trinitro-toluene 7 14·5
Sodium chloride 17·5 7
Starch -- 11·5
Limit charge 14 oz. 18 oz.
Power (swing of ballistic
pendulum) 2·85” 2·79”
The permits have now been repealed.
Abelite (without distinguishing number) is simply a
mixture of ammonium nitrate and trinitro-toluene--
Ammonium nitrate 83
Trinitro-toluene 17
It is therefore a variety of Bellite in which the dinitro-benzene has
been replaced by trinitro-toluene. It is used for filling grenades
and general blasting purposes, but is not permitted in dangerous coal
mines.
=AEROLIT= is a Danish ammonium nitrate explosive, _e.g._--
Ammonium nitrate 78·125
Potassium nitrate 7·5
Sulphur 8·75
Fat 2·5
Sago meal 1·25
Manganese dioxide 1·25
Resin 0·625
=AETNA COAL POWDER= is an American coal-mine powder on the
Permissible List. Brands A, B and C are nitroglycerine explosives.
AA and No. 2 are ammonium nitrate explosives.
=AETNA POWDER.=--A variety of American dynamite containing 15
to 65 per cent. of nitroglycerine mixed with wood pulp and sodium
nitrate. Roasted flour has sometimes been substituted for wood pulp.
=AJAX POWDER.=--A coal-mine explosive made by
Nobel’s Explosives Co.
_Date of Permit_ 1-9-13
Nitroglycerine 22·3
Nitrocotton 0·7
Di- and trinitro-toluenes 3·5
Potassium perchlorate 37
Wood meal 11·5
Ammonium oxalate 25
Limit charge 12 oz.
Power (swing of ballistic pendulum) 2·69”
In 1914, 329,000 lbs. were used in coal mines, but the permit
has now been repealed.
=ALBIONITE.=--A mixture of gelignite and ammonium
oxalate. It was formerly on the Permitted List.
=ALBIT.=--A German chlorate explosive introduced in 1915 in
consequence of the scarcity of nitrates due to the War. It is defined
as consisting of not more than 80 per cent. sodium or potassium
chlorate, not more than 4 per cent. nitroglycerine, and mono- or
dinitro-hydrocarbons. It may also contain inorganic salts and carbon
carriers such as vegetable meal, oils, soaps or carbohydrates.
A variety made for use in coal mines is called Wetter-Albit or
Kohlen-Albit.
=ALDORFIT.= See =DORFIT=.
=ALKALSIT.=--A German chlorate or perchlorate explosive made by
the Dynamit A.-G. of Hamburg. It contains not more than 80 per cent.
sodium or potassium chlorate, or not more than 80 per cent. sodium,
potassium or ammonium perchlorate, and 19 per cent. of aromatic
nitro-hydrocarbons and nitrocotton, also coal, hydrocarbons or
carbohydrates, and nitrates. The chlorate mixtures must not contain
ammonium salts. Alkalsit I contains not more than 27 per cent. of
potassium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate, not more than 24 per cent.
of sodium nitrate, not more than 8 per cent. of trinitro-toluene,
also wood meal, flour and nitro-naphthalene. Alkalsit A contains not
more than 55 per cent. of potassium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate,
not more than 31 per cent. trinitro-toluene, and not more than 5 per
cent. of a neutral liquid mixture of nitrated toluenes. Alkalsit B is
similar except that it contains also ammonium nitrate.
=ALSILITE S.G.P.=--A Belgian coal-mine explosive on the list of
Explosifs S.G.P. It is of the Ammonal type--
Ammonium nitrate 62
Trinitro-toluene 11
Ferro-silicon-aluminium 5
Sodium chloride 22
Charge limite 900 g.
=ALUMATOL.=--A mixture of ammonium nitrate, trinitro-toluene and
a little aluminium powder, used for charging trench-mortar bombs, etc.
=AMASITE.=--A coal-mine explosive formerly on the Permitted
List--
Ammonium perchlorate 34
Sodium nitrate 31
Myrobolans 34·7
Agar agar 0·3
It was made by the Société Anonyme de Vilvorde in Belgium, and was
originally called Ugolite.
Rock Amasite and S.T. Amasite are non-permitted explosives of
composition somewhat similar to the above.
=AMATOL.=--A mixture of ammonium nitrate and trinitro-toluene.
The composition is shown by the figures placed after the name;
thus Amatol 40/60 contains 40 per cent. ammonium nitrate and 60
per cent. trinitro-toluene, and Amatol 80/20 consists of 80 parts
ammonium nitrate and 20 parts trinitro-toluene. These explosives are
used very extensively for filling shell and other projectiles. The
mixtures rich in trinitro-toluene can be cast after being heated to
temperature above the melting-point of this constituent, but those
rich in ammonium nitrate are stemmed into the projectile hot or
pressed. Similar mixtures are used by the Germans and other powers
under various names. In Germany it is called Füllpulver (q. v.).
=AMATOXOL.=--A mixture of ammonium nitrate and Toxol, which
consists of trinitro-toluene and trinitro-xylene.
*=AMBERITE.=--A smokeless shot-gun powder made by Curtis’s and
Harvey at Tonbridge. Amberite No. 1 contained nitroglycerine as well
as nitrocotton and various other substances. According to “Arms
and Explosives,” 1917, p. 78, a sample of Amberite No. 2 had the
composition--
Insoluble nitrocotton 18·6
Soluble ” 46·0
Nitrates of potassium and barium 28·0
Vaseline 6·0
Volatile matter 1·4
This is still on the market. It is a fibrous 42-grain bulk
powder.
*=AMIDE POWDER= or Chilworth Special Powder was an early attempt
at a smokeless powder. Under the name of Amidpulver it was used by
the German artillery for some years in the ’eighties of the last
century. Its composition was--
Ammonium nitrate 35-38
Potassium nitrate 40-46
Charcoal 14-22
See also Ammonpulver and Hebler Powder.
=AMMONAL= is a blasting explosive containing ammonium nitrate,
aluminium powder, charcoal, and generally trinitro-toluene. It was
patented in 1900 by G. Roth of Vienna, and the following are some of
the compositions made by his firm at Felixdorf in Austria--
_a_ _b_ _c_ _d_
Ammonium nitrate 80·75 90 88 80
Aluminium 15 4 8 18
Charcoal 4·25 6 4 2