Ammonium nitrate-alkali metal nitrate explosive containing aluminum of particular size distribution

Claim 2

A WATER RESISTANT METALLIZED, FLOWABLE EXPLOSIVE COMPOSTION WHICH COMPRISES ON A WEIGHT BASIS; (A) TO ABOUT 60 PERCENT ALKALI METAL NITRATE, (B) FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 85 PERCENT AMMONIUM NITRATE, (C) FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 25 PERCENT WATER, (D) FROM ABOUT 0.2 TO ABOUT 1.5 PERCENT OF A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER SWELLABLE GELLING AND THICKENING AGENTS, AND (E) FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 40 PERCENT PARTICULATE ALUMINUM, SAID ALUMINUM RANGING IN SIZE FORM ABOUT 4 TO ABOUT 150 MESH U.S. STANDARD SIEVE AND HAVING A GAUGE OF FROM ABOUT 0.025 TO ABOUT 30 MILS AND BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION WHEREIN FROM ABOUT 60 TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT IS FROM ABOUT 12 TO ABOUT 50 MESH THE BALANCE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 50 TO 100 MESH AND WHEREIN FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE PARTICLES HAVE A MAXIMUM GAUGE OF ABOUT 1 MIL, FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT HAVE A GAUGE OF FROM 1 TO ABOUT 10 MILS, BALANCE RANGING FROM 10 TO ABOUT 30 MILS IN GAUGE.

Claim 3

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A WATER RESISTANT, METALLIZED HIGH ENERGY EXPLOSIVE WHICH COMPRISES: (A) ADDING FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO ABOUT 1.5 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A CROSS-LINKABLE HYDROPHOBIC, WATER-SWELLABLE GUAR GUM TO FROM ABOUT 2 TO ABOUT 16 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A WATER MISCIBLE, ORGANIC LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOHYDROXY ALKANOLS HAVING FROM 1 TO ABOUT 4 CARBON ATOMS, ETHYLENE, GYCOL, PROPLYENE GYLCOL, GLYCEROL, FROMAMIDE AND MIXTURES THEREOF, SAID ORGAINC LIQUID BEING SUPERSATURATED WITH AMMONIUM NITRATE, (B) AGITATING SAID MIX TO DISPERSE SAID GUM THROUGHOUT THE MASS, (C) INTRODUCING FROM ABOUT 6 TO ABOUT 16 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN AQUEOUS SATURATED AMMONIUM NITRATE SOLUTION THEREIN AND MIXING THEREBY TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS MASS, (D) STOPPING THE MIXING OPERATION AND PERMITTING THE MIXTURE TO STAND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUCH THAT THE GUM SWELLS TO A PREDETERMINED STATE, (E) SUCCESSIVELY BLENDING INTO SAID MIXTURE (1) FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT SODIUM NITRATE, (2) FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 30 PARTS BY WEIGHT PARTICULATE ALUMINUM, SAID ALUMINUM BEING FROM ABOUT 60 TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF 12 TO ABOUT 50 MESH, BALANCE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 50 TO 100 MESH IN SIZE AND WHERE FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE PARTICLES HAVE A MAXIMUM THICKNESS OF ABOUT 1 MIL, FROM ABOUT 70 TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT RANGE FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 MILS IN THICKNESS, THE BALANCES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM 10 TO ABOUT 30 MILS, AND (3) FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT AMMONUUM NITRATE, (F) ADDING TO SAID MASS ABOUT 0.2 CUBIC CENTIMETER PER POUND WEIGHT OF TOTAL MIXTURE OF A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AQUEOUS SODIUM DICHROMATE CONTAINING ABOUT 5% BY WEIGHT OF THE SOLUTE AND DIVER''S LIQUID AS CROSS-LIKING AGENT FOR SAID GUM, AND (G) BLENDING SAID CROSS-LIKING AGENT INTO THE FINAL COMPOSITION THEREBY TO CROSS-LINK SAID GUM TO A PREDETERMINED DEGREE AND PRODUCE A WATER RESISTANT, HIGH ENERGY, FLOWABLE METALLIZED EXPLOSIVE.

Claim 4

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A WATER RESISTANT, METALLIZED HIGH ENERGY EXPLOSIVE WHICH COMPRISES: (A) ADDING FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO ABOUT 1.5 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A CROSS-LINKABLE HYDROPHOBIC, WATER-SWELLABLE GUAR GUM TO FROM ABOUT 2 TO ABOUT 16 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A WATER MISCIBLE, ORGANIC LIQUID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONOHYDROXY ALKANOLS HAVING FROM 1 TO ABOUT 4 CARBON ATOMS, ETHYLENE, GYCOL, PROPLYENE GYLCOL, GLYCEROL, FROMAMIDE AND MIXTURES THEREOF, SAID ORGAINC LIQUID BEING SUPERSATURATED WITH AMMONIUM NITRATE, (B) AGITATING SAID MIX TO DISPERSE SAID GUM THROUGHOUT THE MASS, (C) INTRODUCING FROM ABOUT 6 TO ABOUT 16 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN AQUEOUS SATURATED AMMONIUM NITRATE SOLUTION THEREIN AND MIXING THEREBY TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS MASS, (D) STOPPING THE MIXING OPERATION AND PERMITTING THE MIXTURE TO STAND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUCH THAT THE GUM SWELLS TO A PREDETERMINED STATE, (E) SUCCESSIVELY BLENDING INTO SAID MIXTURE (1) FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT SODIUM NITRATE, (2) FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 30 PARTS BY WEIGHT PARTICULATE ALUMINUM, SAID ALUMINUM BEING FROM ABOUT 60 TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF 12 TO ABOUT 50 MESH, BALANCE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY 50 TO 100 MESH IN SIZE AND WHERE FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 10 PERCENT OF THE PARTICLES HAVE A MAXIMUM THICKNESS OF ABOUT 1 MIL, FROM ABOUT 70 TO ABOUT 80 PERCENT RANGE FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 MILS IN THICKNESS, THE BALANCES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM 10 TO ABOUT 30 MILS, AND (3) FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 40 PARTS BY WEIGHT AMMONUUM NITRATE, (F) ADDING TO SAID MASS ABOUT 0.2 CUBIC CENTIMETER PER POUND WEIGHT OF TOTAL MIXTURE OF A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AQUEOUS SODIUM DICHROMATE CONTAINING ABOUT 5% BY WEIGHT OF THE SOLUTE AND DIVER''S LIQUID AS CROSS-LIKING AGENT FOR SAID GUM, AND (G) BLENDING SAID CROSS-LIKING AGENT INTO THE FINAL COMPOSITION THEREBY TO CROSS-LINK SAID GUM TO A PREDETERMINED DEGREE AND PRODUCE A WATER RESISTANT, HIGH ENERGY, FLOWABLE METALLIZED EXPLOSIVE.