Porous metal agglomerates
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of my earlier application Ser. No. 891,314 filed Mar. 29, 1978, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation of my earlier application Ser. No. 679,461 filed Apr. 22, 1976, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,715, which in turn is a continuation of my earlier application Ser. No. 494,311 filed Aug. 2, 1974, now abandoned. 
    
    
     This invention relates to porous metal agglomerates and more particularly to such agglomerates useful as a fuel in blasting agents or explosives. 
     As far as possible powder metallurgy terminology used in this specification is in accordance with International Organization for Standardization Draft 1SO/DIS 3252. 
     Combustible metal powders have long been used as fuels or sensitisers in blasting agents and explosives and in particular aluminium is very widely used. In order to obtain optimum and instantaneous use of the energy of these fuels it is desirable that the particles thereof have a sufficiently large surface to mass ratio to combust at high rate. One convenient method of preparing aluminium powder as a fuel is by the atomising process. This, however, has the disadvantage of resulting in a high proportion of fines of a size less than 80 microns. This fine material is inclined to be suspended in air and may result in a spontaneous explosion. It is also dense and difficult to handle mechanically. 
     It has been proposed in South African Pat. No. 73/6092 to use a carrier for this fine material and that product has proved practically and commercially successful. 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide a fuel for blasting agents or explosives which is made from fine particles produced during the manufacture of metal powders. 
     According to this invention there is provided porous metal fuel agglomerates comprising a combustible metal powder of a size range of 0 to 500 microns, or any cut thereof, granulated with a binder of synthetic resin material by build-up to a porous agglomerate with a size range of 100 to 2500 microns having an apparent density between 0,4 to 1,1. 
     Further features of this invention provide for the combustible powder to be of nodular, flaky, irregular or acicular shape and to consist of aluminium, aluminium alloy, or aluminium mixed with silicon, magnesium, iron or alloys thereof. Particularly the powder will comprise a mixture of aluminium and silicon or other combustible metals in such proportions as to yield optimum and economical use of energy. 
     The invention also provides for the binder to be an emulsion or solution of vinyl polymers or other resins including thermosetting resins. Particularly the binders will be obtained from polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate. 
     An important feature of this invention is a sensitised fuel, comprising agglomerates as above defined, having a size range of 100 to 850 microns partly filled and coated with a sensitising material such as aluminium flake. 
    
    
     In one preferred example of this invention granules were prepared using 
     
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80%         200μ 85% Al powder                                         
                              400g                                        
16%         Coarse Si         60g                                         
 4%         Fines Si          40g                                         
                              500g                                        
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     To this was added 16% m/m of SYNTA 1203 (80 g), a polyvinyl alchol based adhesive obtained from &#34;Henkel&#34; in South Africa. 
     The mixture was subjected to build-up granulation in a Starmix blender for 5 minutes. Thereafter the resulting granules were air-dried at ambient temperature for a period of approximately 24 hours. 
     The starting material used had the following size analysis: 
     
         ______________________________________                                    
            85% Al                                                        
            -200μm   Coarse Si Fine Si                                 
Density     1,176       1,03      0,767                                   
(in microns)                                                              
            %           %         %                                       
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+425μ    0           0         0                                       
-425μ + 315                                                            
            0           0,5       0,1                                     
-315 + 250  10,6        30,8      0,5                                     
-250 + 150  59,1        41,7      3,8                                     
-150 + 106  16,8        12,2      51,8                                    
-106 + 63   8,7         9,2       28,2                                    
-63 + 45    2,7         3,5       7,2                                     
-45         2,1         2,1       8,4                                     
Particle    Irregular to                                                  
                        Angular   Angular                                 
Shape       Nodular                                                       
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     The dried product was very free flowing and had the following size analysis: 
     
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                          0,946 g cm.sup.-3                               
Density          =        %                                               
______________________________________                                    
&gt;2mm                  0                                                   
&lt;2mm &gt;1mm             7,5                                                 
&lt;1mm &gt;850μ         4,1                                                 
&lt;850 &gt;500μ         32,1                                                
&lt;500μ &gt;425μ     26,3                                                
&lt;425μ &gt;250μ     23,8                                                
&lt;250μ              6,2                                                 
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     The product may be used as a normal fuel for blasting agents or it may be used as a carrier to which a sensitiser or other fine fuel powder may be adhered. 
     It is very important to note that a change in the shape of the particles, for example, nodular, irregular or acicular, or a change in the apparent density may result in a failure to granulate with the abovementioned concentration of binder. The desired granulation can be effected by determining through simple experimentation the necessary concentration of binder for particular shapes and density. The effect of the viscosity of the binder is also an important variable which must also be determined by experimentation. 
     The aluminium powder used in the example set out above was atomised aluminium powder consisting of nodular and irregular particles. The silicon powder used was material including dust which had been collected during the manufacture of silicon metal. The apparent density of the atomised aluminium powder was about 1,2 g cm -3  and of the silicon powder varied from 0,74 to 1,03 g cm -3 . 
     The product forms an efficient and substantially hazard free fuel for blasting agents and explosives and it has been found that the silicon provides a useful explosive energy content of about 70% of that of aluminium. The hazard free material is obtained because substantially no dust occurs in the final product from the blender. At ruling costs this results in a cheaper fuel than when aluminium alone is used. 
     In commercial product granulation may be effected in granulating drums or dishes or in mixing pans, augers and high capacity intensive mixers which subject the feed to a rolling or mixing motion or both. 
     Different purities of feed materials and binders from those indicated in the above example can be used and the particular choice will depend on costs of materials, end use of the products and quality. As stated above particular circumstances may require certain experimentation in order to obtain optimum results. 
     The invention has further very important advantages. The agglomerates in the size range of 100 to 850 microns, or any cut thereof, can be partly interstially filled and coated with a sensitising material such as aluminium flake to form a sensitised fuel or explosive ingredient for pre-packed explosives or blasting agents known as &#34;sausages&#34;. This can also be done by using the flake in its paste form before it is dried. 
     Generally the coating will be effected using a solution which is a mixture of an oil soluble basic dyestuff, kerosene diesolene and benzol or other suitable solvents. 
     As an example of the use of the agglomerates as carriers the following mix was prepared: 
     400 g of agglomerates sized to -150 μm 
     100 g of Al flake made by C. Schlenk AG of Germany and identified as 475 NZ 
     with a solution 
     1,0 g Fat Blue B DY-SL502 dyestuff supplied by Hoechst S.A. 
     30 cm 3  Kerosene SA 1066 supplied by Bush Boake Allen 
     2,5 l Diesolene 
     2,5 l Benzol 
     6 cm 3  of the above solution were used. 
     The mixed was blended in Starmix Blender for 2 minutes to promote softening of the coating on the aluminium flake and provide adhesion of flake to agglomerate. 
     The product is a highly effective material for use in explosives giving an efficient use of the energy of the material under practical blasting conditions. 
     Also the porous agglomerates according to this invention provide excellent carrier material for use in the process claimed in South African Pat. No. 73/6092.