It is used extensively as an intermediate detonating agent for high-explosive shell, as it is somewhat more sensitive than most of the explosives used, and can consequently be detonated by a small charge of fulminate. It is also called C. E.
Grisou-TETRILITE. SeeFavier Powder.
TEUTONITis a GermanFavierexplosive containing not less than 70 per cent. of ammonium nitrate, not more than 5 per cent. of flour or potato meal, and not more than 15 per cent. of aromatic nitro- and dinitro-compounds. It may also contain neutral salts.
TEUTONITEwas a name given occasionally to White Gunpowder (q. v.).
THAMES POWDERis a coal-mine explosive on the Permitted List made by the British Explosives Syndicate, Ltd.—
THERMITis not an explosive, although in some respects it resembles one. It generally consists of a mixture of about three parts oxide of iron with one part of aluminium powder, but other oxides and other metals are sometimes used. When initiated by strong heat in one place a reaction sets in with great evolution of heat and the formation of a white-hot mass of molten iron and slag. It differs from an explosive in that no gas is formed and the reaction is comparatively slow. It is used for filling incendiary bombs and for many industrial purposes.
THORNIT.—A German blasting explosive consisting of ammonium nitrate and vegetable meal. It may also contain animal or vegetable fats.
TITANITE.—A coal-mine explosive manufactured in Hungary. A variety of it was on the old British Permitted List—
Other varieties containing a smaller percentage of ammonium nitrate have been used for general blasting.
T.N.T.stands for trinitro-toluene or trotyl.
TOLITEstands for trinitro-toluene.
TONITE, or Cotton Powder, is a blasting explosive which was much used at one time. It consists of guncotton mixed with a nitrate and compressed into blocks or cylinders, but a small percentage of a nitro-compound has sometimes been added. A Belgian Tonite had the composition—
That made by the Cotton Powder Co. consists of—
TOXOLis a high explosive, a mixture of trinitro-xylene and trinitro-toluene.
TREMONITis a German coal-mine explosive containing gelatinised dinitro-glycerine,e.g.—
Ammon-Tremonit or Gesteins-Tremonit contains a considerable proportion of ammonium nitrate.
Gesteins-Tremonit V. contains also up to 10 per cent. of potassium perchlorate, and is similar toAstralit V.
TRINOL.—A name for trinitro-toluene.
TRIPLASTITwas a plastic high explosive obtained by gelatinising a liquid or semi-liquid mixture of nitro-toluenes with collodion cotton and mixing it with lead nitrates,e.g.—
It was intended for filling shell, etc.
*TROISDORF SMOKELESS POWDERbecame prominent in England in 1897 in connection with Mannlicher cartridges for the Bisley long-range competitions. It was occasionally recorded as Pigou Wilkes Powder, as that firm were agents for it. The following are analyses of samples taken in 1898 (“Arms and Explosives,” 1917, p. 90)—
The shot-gun powder was a fibrous bulk powder, and the charge for a 12-bore cartridge was 33 grains. The rifle powder was gelatinised.
TROJAN COAL POWDERis an American coal-mine explosive on the Permissible List. It contains nitro-starch.
TROTYLis a name for trinitro-toluene.
TUNNELITis a German safety explosive containing ammonium nitrate, sodium nitrate, not more than 10 per cent. of trinitro-toluene (or not more than 6 per cent. together with not more than 2 per cent. of neutral liquid trinitro-toluene), not more than 20 per cent. of dinitro-chlorhydrin, not more than 5 per cent. of nitroglycerine, not more than 1 per cent. of collodion cotton, and carbohydrates.
TUNNELITEis an American coal-mine explosive on thePermissible List. Brands AA, B and C are ammonium nitrate explosives, whereas numbers 3 to 8, 6LF and 8LF are nitroglycerine explosives.
TURPINITE.SeePANCLASTITE.
TUTOL.—A coal-mine explosive made by the Westphalia Anhalt Explosives Co. in Germany. It was on the old Permitted List. A variation of it, No. 2, was for a time on the new List, but it was repealed in Nov. 1916.
UPLEES POWDER.—A coal-mine explosive of theGrisounitetype made by the Cotton Powder Co. It was for a time on the Permitted List but was repealed in 1914.
VELOX GELATINE.—A blasting explosive for hard rock made by the British South African Explosives Co. It contains less nitroglycerine thanblasting gelatine, and is intended to husband stocks of glycerine (“Arms and Explosives,” 1916, p. 81).
GelatineVENDERis a Swiss explosive consisting of dinitro-acetin gelatinised with a little collodion cotton and mixed with ammonium nitrate.
VICTOR POWDERwas a coal-mine explosive made by Nobel’s Explosives Co. There were two varieties at one time on the Permitted List—
VICTORITE.—A coal-mine explosive of theCarbonitetype made by Nobel’s Explosives Co. It was on the old Permitted List.
VIEILLE POWDER.SeePoudreB.
VIGORIT.SeeMONACHIT.
VIGORITEis a name that has been given to several explosives in the past. One of these, manufactured in California in the ’seventies of the last century, contained potassium chlorate and nitroglycerine, and consequently was decidedly dangerous. It gave rise to a serious accident on the Grand Trunk Railway.
The Atlas Powder Co. in America manufacture a series of coal-mine explosives under this name. They are nitroglycerine explosives.
VIKING POWDERis a coal-mine explosive made by Nobel’s Explosives Co. There are two varieties on the Permitted List—
This explosive is used extensively.
VIRITE.—A coal-mine explosive made by the Nitrate Explosives Co. which was on the old Permitted List—
There have been other explosives of the same name.
VULCAN POWDERis a brand of American dynamite.
W.A.SeeLafflin and Rand.
WALLONITE.—A Belgian blasting and coal-mine explosive—
*WALSRODE SHOT-GUN POWDERwas a gelatinised 28-grain dense powder, which the German makers endeavoured to introduce into England in the ’nineties, but it gave high pressures. A powder of this name is still used in Germany, however, but it is a 35-grain powder in the form of small grains, greyish white and greyish green in colour.
WALSRODE SICHERHEITS-SPRENGSTOFFis a German coal-mine explosive containing ammonium nitrate, trinitro-toluene, flour, and a little guncotton and sometimes sodium chloride.
Wetter-Walsrode is also an ammonium nitrate explosive. It contains no guncotton but may contain potassium nitrate, sodium chloride, naphthalene, and various other substances.
WESTFALITEis a coal-mine explosive which is made in Germany and England. The German explosives vary much in composition, and some of them are intended for ordinary blasting. Some of those recently introduced contain up to 10 per cent. of potassium perchlorate. Originally Westfalite was made by milling ammonium nitrate with an alcoholic solution of gum lac, but later the use of the gum was abandoned.
British Westfalite, Ltd., had two mixtures on the old Permitted List—
That formerly on the Permitted List differed considerably from the above—
WETTERDYNAMITis a name that has been given in Germany to various coal-mine explosives containing nitroglycerine.
WETTER-DYNAMMON.SeeDYNAMMON.
*WETTEREN.—A gelatinised rifle smokeless powder made by the Cooppal Co. of Belgium. The following analyses were given in “Arms and Explosives,” 1917, p. 91—
WHITE GUNPOWDERis a mixture of—
It is not produced commercially, and, indeed, is too sensitive, but it is sometimes made in the laboratory. It has also been called Angendre’s powder, White German powder, American powder, and Baron and Cauvet’s powder.
WILHELMITis a German blasting explosive of theChedditetype. It consists of sodium or potassium chlorate hydrocarbon oil with a flash point not below 30° C., and carbohydrates. For use in coal mines neutral salts are added. It was introduced during the War.
WITHNELL POWDER.—A coal-mine explosive of theGrisounitetype made by the Lancashire Explosives Co., which was on the old Permitted List—
WITTENBERGER WETTERDYNAMIT.SeeSALIT.
XPDITEis an American coal-mine explosive on the Permissible List. It is made by the Hercules Powder Co., and contains nitroglycerine.
YONCKITE.—A Belgian ammonium perchlorate explosive.The composition has been varied somewhat, and one formula, No. 10, is on the list of Explosifs S.G.P., and consequently is permitted for use in Belgian coal mines. No. 1 is a more powerful explosive used for general blasting.
ZELTIT.SeeCeltite.