GB849967A - Propellent powders - Google Patents

Abstract

849,967. Propellent powders. OLIN MATHIESON CHEMICAL CORPORATION. March 3, 1959, No. 7369/59. Class 9(2). Powder grains are prepared by making a substantially pourable paste characterised by mixing together particles of nitrocellulose propellant and a liquid plasticizer for the nitrocellulose in amount of at least 25% by volume of the resulting mixture and forming said mixture into a powder grain by casting or extrusion. Preferably the nitrocellulose particles are gelatinized and are spherical, having an average diameter less than 0À005 inch. The mixing is carried out at low temperatures such that no dissolution of the nitrocellulose takes place. Specified plasticizers include liquid deterrents such as dibutyl phthalate, dimethyl sebacate, dibutyl succinate, dibutyl adipate, triacetin, ethyl diphenyl phosphate, dimethyl phthalate, dioctyl sebacate, ortho nitro biphenyl, butyl benzyl phthalate, octyl diphenyl phosphate, triethylene glycol di-2-ethyl butyrate (i.e., triglycol hexoate) and tributyl phosphate. Energizing modifiers such as nitroglycerine, butane triol trinitrate, diglycol dinitrate and ethylene glycol dinitrate may also be present. The mixture may be cast by pouring into a mould and maintaining the temperature between 50 and 90‹C until the nitrocellulose is dissolved, or in the extrusion method, the mixture is maintained between 50 and 90‹C extruded and cut to suitable length.