Nitrocellulose product and method of manufacture of propellant grains employing same

Claim 1

SMOOTH, HARDENED, DENSIFIED AND IRREGULAR NITROCELLULOSE GRANULES HAVING A DIVERSITY OF PARTICLE SIZES ALL OF WHICH PASS THROUGH A U.S. STANDARD SIEVE NO. 20, NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 15% BY WEIGHT OF WHICH ARE COARSER THAN A U.S. STANDARD SIEVE NO. 40, AND NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 25% BY WEIGHT OF WHICH PASS THROUGH A U.S. STANDARD SIEVE NO. 100, AND HAVING A BULK DENSITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 40 POUNDS PER CUBIC FOOT, DRY BASIS, SAID GRANULES HAVING BEEN PREPARED BY CONTACTING A SLURRY OF FIBROUS NITROCELLULOSE WITH AGITATION IN A HEATED AQUEOUS BATH WITH AN ORGANIC LIQUID SOLVENT WHICH HAS ACTIVE SOLVENT POWER FOR SAID NITROCELLULOSE AND WHICH FORMS A MINIMUM BOILING AZEOTROPIC MICTURE WITH WATER, SAID SOLVENT BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT TO SOFTEN AND DESTROY THE FIBROUS STRUCTURE OF THE NITROCELLULOSE WITHOUT DISSOLUTION THEREOF, SAID BATH BEING HEATED TO AT LEAST THE BOILING POINT OF THE WATERSOLVENT AZETROPE DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF CONTACT BETWEEN SID NITROCELLULOSE AND SAID SOLVENT, THEREAFTER REMOVING SUBSTANTIALLY AL OF THE SOLVENT BY DISTILLATION WHILE CINTINUING AGITATION TO FORM SMOOTH, HARDENED, DENSIFIED AND RELATIVELY COARSE IRREGULAR PARTICLES OF NITROCELLULOSE HAVING A BULK DENSITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 40 POUNDS PER CUBIC FOOT, DRY BASIS, AND COMMINUTING THE RESULTING DENSIFIED AND RELATIVELY COARSE IRREGULAR PARTICLES OF NITROCELLULOSE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION OF BULK DENSITY BY WET GRINDING TO PRODUCE DENSIFIED COMMINUTED IRREGULAR NIROCELLULOSE PARTICLES HAVING THE AFORESTATED PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION, SAID DENSIFIED COMMINUTED IRREGULAR NITROCELLULOSE PARTTICLES BEING ADAPTED FOR PRODUCING POURABLE CASTING SLURRIES EMPLOYED FOR MANUFACTURE OF CAST PROPELLANT GRAINS BY THE SLURRY CASTING PROCESS.