Solid material comminution or disintegration – Processes
Patent
1997-05-09
1999-08-24
Rosenbaum, Mark
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Processes
83 53, 241301, B02C 1918
Patent
active
059414669
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process and device for chopping a body of solid explosives.
Solid explosives are used in relatively large quantities or numbers in solid rockets and engines of all kinds, such as, for example, ground-to-air, ground-to-ground and air-to-air rockets. Such rockets and engines are contained in large numbers in warehouses for storage and are to be fed for decomposing, recycling or destruction. For this, safe, ecologically clean and efficient technologies are required. The composite fuels used for solid rockets contain a high proportion of 60% to 80% of an oxidizing agent and of aluminum in powdered form within a range of 5 to 10%. As oxidizing agent, ammonium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate or ammonium nitrate is generally used. In this connection, it is to be noted that at 240.degree. C. ammonium perchlorate (NH.sub.4 ClO.sub.4) for instance gives off chlorine as a strong respiratory poison and oxygen to support combustion. In addition to this, there is the problem in the case of solid fuels that they are capable of becoming statically charged when worked on. The static charges can lead to voltages of up to 1000 V. The electrical discharges, which necessarily take place in this connection can, to be sure, not ignite the solid fuel in view of their short life, but they can, however, ignite the dust or powder produced in the event of dry working, such as sawing, grinding, etc., which dust or powder in its turn can lead to the igniting of the solid fuel. Furthermore, solid rocket fuels have high sensitivity to impact and friction.
For the disposal of ammunition and solid fuels of rockets of small range, use has been made up to now of "open air" burning for a limited time of small amounts of fuel, pursuant to exceptions granted by the competent authorities. Due to the relatively large number of solid rockets and engines as well as the large weight of monolithically cast bodies of solid fuel, "open air" burning is therefore out of the question also from an ecological standpoint. Therefore, a treatment of the solid fuels, in which reactions which represent a danger to man and environment can be excluded, must be assured.
Burning the solid rocket fuel without previously dividing it into small portions is not possible, particularly in the case of rocket engines of long-range rockets, due to the high mass of burnable substance in the total mass of the rocket.
At the present time, no technologies for the decomposing or dividing into portions of composite rocket fuels are known. This may be due, inter alia, to the fact that the decomposing/destruction of rockets or their engines has not been necessary in the recent past.
The object of the present invention therefore is to provide a process for the chopping of solid explosives and a device for carrying out the process, with which larger monolithic bodies of solid fuels, particularly composite rocket fuels, can be decomposed or divided into smaller parts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This objective is accomplished by a process and a device for carrying out the process for the chopping of a body of solid explosives, in particular composite rocket fuels, a high-pressure in which water jet emerging from a nozzle is directed against the body of solid explosive, the nozzle and the body of solid explosive carrying out, at the same time, a movement relative to each other during the chopping. The use of a high-pressure water jet as chopping tool effectively avoids the dangerous thermal effects, which take place upon other mechanical methods of separation, in the manner, for instance, that the thermal energy produced upon the chopping is led away by the water, which acts as coolant. Another important advantage is that the process can be carried out under conditions of ambient pressure and at the same time undesired ignition of the solid fuel can be prevented.
In a preferred embodiment, the process for chopping bodies consisting of solid explosives is applied to a body of composite rocket fuel. In order to increase th
REFERENCES:
patent: 2092083 (1937-09-01), Ogle et al.
patent: 5001870 (1991-03-01), Yokota et al.
WO, A, 94 00275 Alliant Techsystems Inc. Jan. 6, 1994.
Database WPI Week 8903 Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; AN 89-023333 see abstract. Dec. 27, 1988.
Database WPI Week 9310 Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; AN 93-077572 & DE, A,41 28 703 (RATH D), Mar. 4, 1994 see abstract.
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Alba Helmut
Wilhelm Juergen
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