Ballistite

Ballistite is a smokeless propellant explosive made from two high explosives nitrocellulose mixed with nitroglycerin.

Related Topics:
Smokeless propellant - Explosive - High explosive - Nitrocellulose - Nitroglycerin

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In 1886, a French chemist, Paul Vieille invented the first smokeless powder, called Poudre B (Poudre Blanche = white powder). It was made out of two forms of nitrocellulose (collodion and guncotton) softened with ethanol and ether and kneaded together. Three times more powerful than black powder (Poudre N, Poudre Noir), and not generating vast quantities of smoke, Poudre B was a great improvement on it.

Related Topics:
1886 - French - Chemist - Paul Vieille - Smokeless powder - Poudre B - Collodion - Guncotton - Ethanol - Ether - Black powder

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Prior to its introduction, a squad of soldiers firing volleys would be completely unable to see their targets after a few shots, whilst their own location would be obvious because of the huge cloud of white smoke hanging over them. The reason that smokeless powders are smokeless is that the combustion products were mainly gaseous, compared to around 60% solid products for black powder (potassium carbonate, potassium sulphate etc). Poudre B was therefore immediately adopted by the French military but tended to become unstable over time as the volatile solvents evaporated and led to many accidents, for example two battleships, the Jena and the Liberte blew up in Toulon harbour in 1907 and 1911 respectively.

Related Topics:
Soldier - Smoke - Smokeless powder - Combustion - Potassium carbonate - Potassium sulphate - Battleship - Toulon - 1907 - 1911

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Alfred Nobel patented a ballistite in 1887 whilst he was living in Paris. It was composed of 10% camphor and equal parts nitroglycerin and collodion. The camphor reacted with any acidic products of the chemical breakdown of the two explosives, but did tend to evaporate over time leaving a potentially unstable mixture. His patent specified that the nitrocellulose should be "of the well-known soluble kind". He offered to sell the rights to the new explosive to the French government, but they declined, largely because they had just adopted Poudre B. He subsequently licensed the rights to the Italian government, and opened a factory at Avigliana, Turin in 1889.

Related Topics:
Alfred Nobel - 1887 - Paris - Camphor - Nitroglycerin - Collodion - Italian - Avigliana - Turin - 1889

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The Italian Army swiftly converted their M1870 and M1870/87 rifles with their black powder cartridges to a new model, the M1890 Vetterli which used a cartridge loaded with ballistite. As Italy was a competing Great Power to France, this was not received well by the French press and public. The newspapers accused Nobel of industrial espionage by spying on Vieille and "high treason against France". Following a police investigation he was refused permission to conduct any more research or to manufacture explosives there. He therefore moved to San Remo in Italy in 1891 where he spent the last five years of his life.

Related Topics:
Rifle - Black powder - Great Power - France - Press - Newspaper - San Remo - Italy - 1891

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Meanwhile, a government committee in Great Britain, called the "Explosives Committee" and chaired by Sir Frederick Abel monitored foreign developments in explosives. Abel and Sir James Dewar, who was also on the committee, jointly patented a modified form of ballistite in 1889. This consisted of 58% nitroglycerin by weight, 37% guncotton and 5% vaseline. Using acetone as a solvent, it was extruded as spaghetti-like rods initially called "cord powder" or "the Committee's modification of ballistite", but this was swiftly abbreviated to cordite.

Related Topics:
Great Britain - Frederick Abel - James Dewar - 1889 - Vaseline - Acetone - Solvent - Spaghetti - Cordite

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Nobel sued Abel and Dewer over patent infringement, eventually in the House of Lords in 1895 but lost, because of the words "of the well-known soluble kind" in his patent was taken to mean the soluble collodion and specifically exclude the water-insoluble guncotton. Cordite, ballistite and Poudre B continued to be used in various different armed forces for many years, but cordite gradually became predominant. Ballistite is still manufactured as a solid fuel rocket propellant, although the less volatile but chemically similar diphenylamine is used instead of camphor.

Related Topics:
House of Lords - 1895 - Water - Guncotton - Diphenylamine

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