dynamite: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com
- ️Wed Jul 01 2015
How Products are Made: How is dynamite made?
Background and Raw Materials
Dynamite is a commercial explosive used mainly for demolition and mining. Invented in 1866 by Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896), it is more accurately described as the packaging of nitroglycerin, a highly poisonous explosive liquid, or other volatile compounds such as sensitized ammonium nitrate. Dynamites can be packed in measured charges, transported easily, and, with the proper detonator, exploded safely. Because a dynamite explosion creates a "cool flame," which is less likely to ignite methane and coal dust mixtures present in mines, dynamites are frequently used in coal mining operations.
History
Alfred Nobel, his father Immanuel, and younger brother Emil began experimenting with nitroglycerin near Stockholm in 1862. Discovered by Italian chemist Ascario Sobrero in 1846, nitroglycerin was highly unstable and difficult to handle, and accidental explosions were not uncommon. One such accident killed Emil, among others, at a plant in 1864. Despite the personal tragedy, Alfred continued his work with this dangerous liquid, working on a boat in the middle of a lake before conducting his experiments in a factory. In 1866 he discovered that mixing nitroglycerin with kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) stabilized and reduced the volatility of the explosive. Diatomaceous earth is formed by the fossil remains of a single-celled plankton called diatoms, and the result is an absorbent material which "soaks up" the nitroglycerin. Alfred named the product "dynamite"—derived from the Greek "dynamis" meaning "power"-—and received a patent for the process in 1867. Nobel went on to develop several other explosives and propellants, including smokeless powder ballistite. He held over 355 patents and his considerable fortune provided the financial basis for the Nobel Prize, which is awarded "to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind."
Dynamite is classified as a Secondary High Explosive, which means a detonator of Primary or Initiating High Explosive (mercury fulminate, for example) is utilized to set off the main charge. Dynamite is considered a commercial explosive, as opposed to TNT (trinitrotoluene) explosives, which are considered military munitions explosives. The first large scale use of dynamite for construction purposes was in the creation of the Hoosac Tunnel, completed in 1876.
Process Design and
Facilities
Dynamite manufacture is highly regulated and the process strictly controlled to prevent accidental detonations. The equipment used is specially designed to reduce the exposure of the mixture to heat, compaction forces, or ignition sources. Bearings in the product mixers, for example, are mounted outside of the apparatus frame to prevent contact with the explosive mixture. Buildings and storage areas (called magazines) are constructed at great distances from other structures and with specialized heating, ventilation, and electrical systems. These buildings are "hardened" with bullet-resistant roofs and walls and extensive security systems. Other important precautions include thorough inspection systems which insure correct mixing, grading, packaging, and inventory control. Employees are also highly trained to work with the explosives, and special health precautions are required. Exposure to nitroglycerin commonly produces throbbing headaches, although an immunity to the toxic effects can develop. Interestingly, nitroglycerin is also used in medicine to treat some forms of angina and other ailments. In the body, it acts as a vasodilator and relaxes muscle tissue.
The Manufacturing
Process
The process begins with the compound liquid such as nitroglycerin (explosive oil), a "dope" substance, and an antacid. Ethylene glycol dinitrate, composing approximately 25-30% of the explosive oil, is used to depress the freezing point of the nitroglycerin. This allows the dynamite to be safely used at low temperatures. In fact, nitroglycerin in a semi-frozen state with both liquid and solid present is actually more sensitive and unstable than either frozen or liquid state alone. In that semi-solid state, nitroglycerin is extremely dangerous to handle.
Mixing the oil
- The explosive oil is carefully added to a mechanical mixer, where it is absorbed by the "dope," which can be either diatomaceous earth (now no longer used), wood pulp, sawdust, flour, starch, and/or other carbonaceous substances and combinations of substances.
Neutralizing acidity
- Approximately 1% antacid such as calcium carbonate or zinc oxide is added to neutralize any acidity present in the dope. The mixture is monitored carefully and when the correct ingredient level is attained, the mixture is ready for packaging into the various forms. This process produces what is termed "straight dynamite," in which the dope does not contribute to the explosive strength of the dynamite. For example, 40% straight dynamite contains 40% nitroglycerin and 60% dope; 35% straight dynamite contains 35% nitroglycerin and 65% dope. In some cases, sodium nitrate is mixed with the dope, which acts as an oxidizer and gives additional strength to the explosive.
Packaging dynamite
- The appearance of dynamite typically resembles a round cartridge approximately 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter and 8 inches (20 cm) long. This type is produced by pressing the dynamite mixture into a paper tube sealed with paraffin. The paraffin enclosure protects the dynamite from moisture and, being a combustible hydrocarbon, contributes to the explosive reaction. Dynamite can also exist in many other forms, from smaller sizes of cartridges for specialized demolition work to large 10-inch (25 cm) diameter charges that are used for large strip mining operations. Regulations limit the length of these big charges to 30 inches (76 cm) and the weight to 50 pounds (23 kg). Dynamite is also available as a bag powder and in a gelatinized form for underwater use.
Dynamites are also made using other substances besides nitroglycerin. For instance, replacing a larger portion of the explosive oil with ammonium nitrate can increase the explosive strength of the dynamite. This form of dynamite is referred to as ammonia dynamite.
Quality Control
Accurate dynamite strength measurement and testing by detonation assure safe performance of the explosive. The relative strength of dynamite is graded by comparison to straight dynamite and by the percentage of weight of the explosive oil. For example, ammonia dynamite is compared to straight dynamite and is graded accordingly. Fifty percent ammonia dynamite is equal in explosive strength to 50% straight dynamite. In this instance, the "50%" reflects the strength comparison rather than the explosive content.
After manufacture and batch testing of the dynamite, it is dispensed to the job site under strict transportation and storage regulations.
Application
The following brief example is one of many scenarios for the proper application of dynamite. It must be noted that no one but a certified blasting expert with the correct procedures and equipment should ever attempt to detonate dynamite.
In this example, a rock formation must be blasted to make way for a construction project. The first step in the blasting procedure is to determine the size of the charge by various means, including charts, calculations, and the blaster's experience. Close examination of the affected area and surrounding terrain is made to determine the safe zone. Signs are placed a minimum of 1000 feet (305 m) outside the safe zone to warn the public of the blasting. Radio transmitters are turned off and locked to prevent accidental firing of the electric detonators. The charge is then withdrawn from the magazine and transported to the blast site using closed and secure trucks. The detonators are brought to the job site in a separate vehicle.
The charges are unloaded and placed into the blast holes drilled in the rock formation. They slide into the blast hole by air pressure or by tamping with wooden or plastic rods. The blaster takes great care that the leadwires to the detonators are shorted together until all charges have been placed. This provides a short circuit path for the wiring which prevents accidental ignition. Only the blaster is allowed to make the final electrical connections to the main firing switch.
During this time, a 5-foot (1.5 m) gap in the wiring immediately ahead of the main switch is used as a "lightning gap," another safety practice to eliminate the possibility of static electricity setting off the charges. Once all of the preparation for the blast is complete, a warning horn sounds a one-minute series of blasts prior to the detonation signal. At this time, the final connections to the firing switch are made. At one minute to detonation, a series of short horn blasts are sounded. The blaster then unlocks the main switch and detonates the charges. After the explosion, all electrical circuits to the blasting equipment are once again locked into the safe positions, and the area is inspected for misfired charges and general safety. A prolonged horn blast signals the all clear.
Byproducts/Waste
Explosives manufacture and use contribute some measure of hazardous waste to the environment. Nitroglycerin produces several toxic byproducts such as acids, caustics, and oils contaminated with heavy metals. These must be disposed of properly by neutralization or stabilization and transported to a hazardous waste landfill. The use of explosives creates large amounts of dust and particulate from the explosion, and, in some cases, releases asbestos, lead, and other hazardous materials into the atmosphere. Also, uncontrolled or improperly calculated explosions may rupture nearby tanks and pipelines, releasing their contents into the environment as well.
The Future
Since their development in the 1950s, advanced forms of plastic explosives and shaped charges have replaced dynamite. These explosives are now referred to as blasting agents, since their stability is improved and require a more powerful primer to detonate. One of the most common blasting agent is ANFO, or ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. ANFO is readily available, considerably cheaper than dynamite, and can be mixed on site. However, concrete demolition crews requiring relatively small charges still use dynamite as the blasting agent.
Where To Learn More
Books
Grady, Sean M. Devices of Controlled Destruction. Lucent Books, 1994.
Keller, J.J. OSHA Safety and Compliance Manual, 1992.
Lewis, Richard, Sr. Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, 8th ed. Van Norstrad Rienhold, 1993.
Meyer, Rudolf. Explosives. VCH Publishers, 1992.
Porter, Samuel J. Explosives and Blasting Agents, Fire Protection Handbook. 15th ed., 1981.
Sickler, Robert A. Explosive Principles: An Essential Guide to Understanding Explosives and Detonations. Paladin Press, 1992.
[Article by: Douglas E. Betts]
from Swedish
This word originated in Sweden
Funny, it doesn't sound Swedish. That's because its ancestry is classical Greek. But dynamite was born in Sweden, in the mind of Alfred Nobel, later of Nobel Prize fame. Nobel invented a way to convert a hazardous liquid explosive, nitroglycerine, into a stable solid. He just poured the nitroglycerine into a nonexplosive filler--at first diatomaceous earth, made from the shells of microscopic sea creatures called diatoms, then something as simple as sawdust. Pressed into cylinders, this new material was easy to carry. More important, it had the advantage of not exploding before its time.
To name his new material, Nobel did not limit himself to everyday words of his native Swedish. He turned, as scientists still do, to Greek, the most respected language of the ancient world. He added -it, a Swedish suffix like English --ite, to dynam-, the root of the Greek word for "force," which also appears in words like dynamo and dynamic.
Nobel's explosive contribution to world technology and vocabulary made him rich. A pacifist, he worried about the effects of dynamite and in his will established what became the best-known prizes in the world, for science and for peace. He also armed our language with what is still a powerful word. Dynamite occupies nearly a full page in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, with examples like this from Saul Bellow's 1944 novel Dangling Man: "He didn't have to tell me. I could tell from the beginning she was dynamite."
Swedish is spoken by almost nine million people in Sweden and a few hundred thousand in neighboring Finland. It has contributed about a hundred words to present-day English, most of them more Swedish-sounding, including spry (1746), scuffle (1590), nickel (1755), smorgasbord (1893), orienteering (1948), moped (1955), and ombudsman (1959).
Dynamite is an explosive based on the explosive potential of nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth (kieselguhr) as an adsorbent. It was invented by Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in 1866 in Krümmel (Geesthacht, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) and patented in 1867.
It is usually sold in the form of a stick 20 centimetres (roughly 8 in) long and 2.5 centimetres (1 in) in diameter, but other sizes also exist. Dynamite is considered a "high explosive", which means it detonates rather than deflagrates.
Another form of dynamite consists of nitroglycerin dissolved in nitrocellulose and a small amount of ketone. This form of dynamite is similar to cordite. This form of dynamite is much safer than the simple mix of nitroglycerin and diatomaceous earth/kieselguhr.
Uses
The chief uses of dynamite used to be in construction, mining, demolition, oil well fire fighting and on the battlefield. However, newer explosives and techniques have replaced dynamite in many applications. Dynamite is still used, mainly as bottom charge or in underwater blasting. Dynamite has been used in armed conflicts, mainly to destroy bridges and other ways of travel in order to slow the advance of supplies or enemy troops. Enthusiasts interested in safe-cracking have deliberately extracted nitroglycerin from dynamite by boiling the sticks and 'skimming' the nitroglycerin as it is forced out. Dynamite is also frequently used in ski resorts. The safety patrollers use sticks of dynamite to purposefully create avalanches so the runs can be safe once the skiers arrive.
A priming device is used for initiating dynamite. The device includes a shell, usually formed of a material in a compartment at one end for housing a sensitive explosive material which is more sensitive than the dynamite to be detonated. Also included in primer units are passageways which are open at both ends of the shell for receiving and housing an electric blasting cap.
History
Dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel and was the first safely manageable explosive stronger than black powder. Nobel patented his invention in October 1867. He originally sold dynamite as "Nobel's Blasting Powder". After its introduction, dynamite rapidly gained popularity as a safe alternative to gunpowder and nitroglycerin. Nobel tightly controlled the patent, and unlicensed duplicators were quickly shut down. However, a few United States businessmen got around the patent by using a slightly different formula. Nobel later on deeply regretted his inventing of the explosive due to its use on the battlefield as a means of killing. This led him to use the great fortune dynamite brought him to fund the Nobel Prize.[citation needed]
Manufacture
Dynamite consists of three parts: nitroglycerin, one part diatomaceous earth and a small admixture of sodium carbonate. This mixture is formed into short sticks and wrapped in paper. Nitroglycerin by itself is a very strong explosive, and in its pure form it is shock-sensitive (physical shock can cause it to explode), degrading over time to even more unstable forms. This makes it highly dangerous to transport or use in its pure form. Absorbed into diatomaceous earth, nitroglycerin is less shock-sensitive.
Over time, the dynamite will "weep" or "sweat" its nitroglycerin, which can then pool in the bottom of the box or storage area. Crystals will form on the outside of the sticks. This creates a very dangerous situation. While the actual possibility of explosion without a blasting cap is minimal, old dynamite is still dangerous.
South Africa
For several decades from the 1940s, the biggest producer of dynamite in the world was the Republic of South Africa, where De Beers established a factory in 1902 at Somerset West. The explosives factory was later operated by AECI (African Explosives and Chemical Industries). The demand for the product came mainly from the country's vast gold mines, centered on the Witwatersrand. The factory at Somerset West was in operation in 1903 and by 1907 was already producing 340,000 cases (22 kilograms (50 lb) each) annually. In addition, a rival factory at Modderfontein was producing another 200,000 cases per year.[1]
One of the drawbacks of dynamite was that it was dangerous to manufacture. There were two massive explosions at the Somerset West plant in the 1960s. Some workers died, but loss of life was limited by the modular design of the factory and earth works and plantations of trees that directed the blasts upwards. After 1985, production of dynamite at the factory was phased out.[2]
USA
In the United States, dynamite was manufactured by the DuPont Corporation well into the 1990s. Dynamite was eventually eclipsed by Water gel explosives, which are safer to handle. [3]
Difference from TNT
It is a common misconception that TNT and dynamite are the same thing. Though both are high explosives, there is no other similarity between them. Where dynamite is an absorbent mixture soaked in nitroglycerin, then compacted into a cylindrical shape and wrapped in paper, TNT is a specific chemical compound.
Popular culture
- The familiar thin reddish cylinder, equipped with a fuse or blasting cap, is a stock movie prop. In comedies and cartoons, dynamite commonly explodes with the only effect being a blackened face and wild hair. In dramas, the impending explosion of lit dynamite parcels provides movie tension. In action films, dynamite is often used as a weapon.
See also
Patent
- U.S. Patent , Improved explosive compound
- U.S. Patent , Explosive priming device
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Dansk (Danish)
n. - dynamit, potentielt farlig person, sprængfarlig ting/situation, narko
v. tr. - lægge sprængladning i, sprænge i luften
adj. - fremragende, enestående, excellent
Nederlands (Dutch)
dynamiet, Geweldig!, dynamisch individu, opblazen, doen mislukken
Français (French)
n. - dynamite, (fig) danger, explosif, super, du tonnerre, (avoir) de l'énergie
v. tr. - faire sauter à la dynamite, dynamiter
adj. - (fig) explosif, du tonnerre, super, dynamique
Deutsch (German)
n. - Dynamit, Sprengstoff
v. - sprengen
adj. - Dynamit...
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δυναμίτιδα
v. - δυναμιτίζω, ανατινάζω
Português (Portuguese)
n. - dinamite (f)
v. - dinamitar
Español (Spanish)
n. - dinamita
v. tr. - dinamitar
adj. - espectacular
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dynamit
v. - spränga m dynamit
中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
炸药, 有潜在危险的人, 具有爆炸性的事, 炸毁, 使失败, 优质的, 顶呱呱的
中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 炸藥, 有潛在危險的人, 具有爆炸性的事
v. tr. - 炸毀, 使失敗
adj. - 優質的, 頂呱呱的
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 다이너마이트, 과격한 성격의 사람, 굉장한 것
v. tr. - 다이너마이트를 설치하다, 전멸시키다
adj. - 최상의, 뛰어난, 엄청난
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ダイナマイト
v. - ダイナマイトで爆破する
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) ديناميت, نوع من المتفجرات الشديدة, شئ يوحي بتسبيب ردة فعل عنيفه, شخص أو شئ مؤثر أو رائع (فعل) يفجر بالديناميت
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - דינמיט, חומר-נפץ חזק על בסיס ניטרוגליצרין, אדם, דבר, או מצב מסוכנים בכוח, הרואין (מדוברת, בריטניה), אדם או דבר מרשימים או חזקים (מדוברת)
v. tr. - פוצץ בדינמיט
adj. - יוצא מהכלל, נהדר
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