Process for coating crystalline high explosives

Claim 1

A process for producing an improved desensitizing coating on a particulate, crystalline, organic high explosive, which comprises: a. mixing the particulate explosive with an aqueous dispersion of a normally solid water-insoluble wax containing at least one free carboxylic acid group in the molecule which can react with a polyvalent metal salt, obtained with a dispersing agent consisting essentially of a water-soluble salt of a fatty acid containing at least 10 carbon atoms; b. incorporating in the resulting mixture a precipitating agent consisting essentially of a water-soluble polyvalent metal salt, which precipitates the water-insoluble polyvalent metal salt of the fatty acid, and breaks the dispersion, whereby the explosive particles are covered with a coating consisting essentially of an intimate composite of the wax and the insoluble polyvalent salt of said acid; c. separating the coated explosive particles from the aqueous medium; and d. drying the coated explosive particles; and wherein the amount of said coating ranges from 1 to 20% by weight of the particulate explosive.