Ballistites

In 1887, Nobel invented Ballistite composed of 40% low nitrogen nitrocellulose and bOPi nitroglycerin. Cut into flakes, it was a good propellant. The British ignored his patcni and developed a similar product called cordite. ... 

Mayrhofer Stability Test. A modification of the Bergmann-Junk Test (see Vol 2, B102-R) for testing the stability of NC and propellants. Mayrhofer recommended the use of 20ml of a 2% Kl soln instead of w for the quant collection of decompn products. He also tested NG contg propints in both dry and si moist states, and found that while a stable sample behaved in a similar manner whether heated dry or moist, an unstable powd decompd rapidly in the presence of traces of w. Tonegutti (Ref 3) considered this test reliable for ballistites and unreliable for cordites... 

Nigrosine. A dye consisting of a mixt of aniline, aniline hydrochloride and nitrophenol, or nitrobenzene and Fe. It was used in Ballistite pro pints in 0.05—0.10% concn (see under Ballistite in Vol 2, B9-R)... 

Smokeless powders prepd by gelatinizing with a vol solvent, NC s prepd from such materials as corozzo, coconut shells, etc, together with Nitrostarch or Nitrodextiin 1888 Invention of Ballistite, the first successful smokeless powder contg NG, described in BritP 1471 of 1888 (Ref 1, p 51)... 

Nobel s Powder-Dynamite (La Poudre-Dynamite de Nobel in Fr). Smokeless powds similar to Ballistite manufd by the Nobel Co. One compn... 

K picrate was used as early as 1869 in expls, such as poudres Designolles (K picrate + K nitrate + charcoal) and poudres Fontaine (K picrate + K chlorate). It has also been used in pyrotechnic whistle compns (Ref 8), proplnts such as Ballistite, and in some primer mixts, ie, K picrate, Pb picrate K chiorate (Ref 4)... 

A,second type of smokeless powder, Ballistite, was invented by Alfred Nobel (Ref 9) in 1888. He took advantage of the ability of... 

Both Pyrocollodion and Pyrocellulose powders were much cooler than powders contg NG (such as Ballistite and Cordite) and caused much less erosion... 

In the simpler version of this method, a double based powder of small size is made by conventional solvent methods and thoroughly dried. The required amount of this powder is then placed in a beaker of cellulose acetate or ethyl cellulose and the voids are all filled with desensitised nitroglycerine. The curing process consists of heating to temperatures of the order of 80°C for a prolonged period and on cooling, the mass becomes a gelatinous body similar to cordite or ballistite. 

For civilian aircraft the facility for rapid starting is not important and cartridge operation is not often employed, particularly because it involves storing and handling explosives, even though the hazards of these explosives are those of fire and not of detonation. For military purposes, however, particularly for fighter aircraft which are best scattered on an airfield, a rapid start is of considerable importance. Therefore cartridge operated starters are much used for these aeroplanes. In Britain, development has been essentially with propellants based on ballistite, namely double base propellants of the solventless type, whereas in the United States composite propellants based on ammonium nitrate have proved more popular. 

FIG. 2.5 Ballistite, a "smokeless powder" consisting of 60% nitrocellulose and 40% nitroglycerine, produces a thermogram with no transitions detectable prior to exothermic decomposition above 150 "C. 

Alfred P. Nobel (1833-1896), famous scientist (born in Sweden, raised and educated in Russia, and worked in Sweden, Germany USA), prepd a double-base smokeless propint by replacing camphor of Celluloid (Vol 2 of Encycl, p C95-L) with NG. He called the propint Ballistite. In 1889 he prepd Ballistite directly from Collodion Cotton (Vol 2 of Encycl, p C103) and NG using the solventless method of Lundholm Sayers. More detailed description is given in Vol 2 of Encycl under Ballistite on pp B8-B9 (See also Vol 3, p C400 and Ref 31a, pp 293—95). 

Collodion Cotton and 1/3 NG with added vaseline (replaced later by Centralite). Beginning in 1910, the Societe Nobel of Avig-liona manufd C2, which was a variety of Brit Cordites but in the form of tubes. Italians manufd also Ballistite of high NG content which contd 0.5% of aniline as stabilizer (Ref 44, p 253)... 

Ballistite 50/50, invented by Nobel, was manufd as propint for mortars. It was partially replaced by Attenuated Ballistite, which contd 25% NG and 15% DNT. The German name, Wiirfelpulver (WT), was assigned to Ballistite 50/50 used in mortars (Ref 44,... 

Balistite (Ballistite). A double-base propellant with high NG content was invented in 1887— 1888 by A. Nobel. Several formulations were developed later and used in many countries. 

Its cylindrical part contd Ballistite type Propellant in grains 350mm long and 19.2mm in diam. Its tail section was constricted to form a venturi for the escape of driving gases. This Rocket, along with Type 3 No 1 Mk 28 Model 1, was the only Navy Rocket which was actually under production at the end of WWII (p 84 ... 

Jewel Powder. One of the early American smokeless proplnts of the Ballistite type (See Vol 2 of Encycl, p B8-L) proposed by Monroe Ref Daniel (1902), pp 387 447... 

Filite. An Ital Ballistite, manufd in the form of cords. It contd equal parts of NG Collodion Cotton with 0.5 -l% aniline added. It was brown in color and had density 1.6. It was a "hot proplnt which badly corroded gun barrels... 

Flashless Ballistite. Ballistite, a double-base proplnt (See Vol 2, pp BS—9) can be made flashless by either incorporating Centralite and DNX oil with NG and NC or by mixing Centralite and NGu with NG and NC. The NG does not dissolve in die colloid but is distributed thru ii in a state of fine subdivision. Ten or fifteen parts of NGu incorporated with 90 or B5 parts of pyrocellviLosc colloided with ether-alcohol gives a mixt which may be extruded thru dies and yields... 

Galcits were heterogeneous mixts contg ca. 25% of asphalt oil fuels and ca 75% of perchlorate oxidizers. Their specific impulse (I ) w s ca 185 secs vs 200 for Ballistite... 

Gamma Radiation Effect on Explosives. Using Au-198 radiation the most affected were NG and PbNa, while TNT and Pb sryphnate were most stable. Binary expls such as Ballistite Comp B, primers such as M26 also were studied (Ref 1)... 

NGB Nitroglycerine ballistite (ballishte propellant containing high NG)... 

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