COMMON NAME – Nobel’s Dynamite
NAME – Gurh dynamite, Dynamite No. 1
TYPE – High explosive mixture
DATE OF DISCOVERY – 1866
DATE FIRST USED AS AN EXPLOSIVE – 1867
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Sweden
COMPOSITION – 75% Nitroglycerine, 25% Diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr)
DENSITY – 1.5 g per ml
NORMAL STATE – Appears like “fresh earth”, soft, granular, solid
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE/COLOR – Pink, Grey, or dark brown depending on the original color of the Diatomaceous earth
INITIATION – 0.6 g Mercury fulminate, 1.0 g Mercury fulminate when frozen
SENSITIVITY – Sensitive to friction and impact, burns when ignited, 100% detonation when struck by 7.62mm (30 cal) rifle bullet
STABILITY – 1 year shelf life, container must be regularly turned over, rotated monthly, to prevent separation of nitroglycerine
DETONATION VELOCITY – 6,725 m/s (22,064 fps)
RE FACTOR (BRISANCE) [TNT=1.0] – 0.97
TOXICITY – Very toxic to touch with the bare skin, ingestion can be fatal, poisonous fumes when detonated
IGNITION POINT – 180o to 182o C (356o to 359o F.) Explodes if confined
FREEZING POINT – -10o C. (14o F.)
SOLUBILITY – Insoluble in water but with poor water resistance
APPLICATIONS – PRINCIPLE USES – General demolitions, mining, and earth-moving
This is the original high explosive for general use. Prior to the invention of dynamite, the only explosive that could be used on a practical and safe basis for blasting rock, tunneling, and mining, was black powder. Liquid nitroglycerine was used, but it was considered a dangerous option due to its ease of detonation from shock and difficulty in transporting. The invention of dynamite cut back on much of the danger in using an explosive for work. One of the original names for the explosive was Guhr dynamite, for the name Kieselguhr, the diatomaceous earth that was used in the original mixture.
