Container for packaging a plurality of explosive units so as to prevent sympathetic detonations

Claim 1

A container having a plurality of explosive units therein said container comprising A. a plurality of hollow housing cylinders for slidably supporting said explosive units and limiting the radial component of explosive propagations from said explosive units; B. a hollow box having parallel side walls and parallel top and bottom wall, said box having set therein said plurality of hollow cylinders with one of said explosive units slidably set within each of said cylinders and with the outer walls of said cylinders snugly engaging each other and said side walls, to prevent lateral movement of said cylinders in said box, said explosive units all positioned within said cylinders with their major axes both (i) mutually parallel and (ii) parallel to the longitudinal axes of cylinders; said cylinders being coextensive with said side walls and having their open ends in contact with said top and bottom walls, to isolate the interiors of said cylinders from each other, C. releasable means comprising a plurality of pairs of separate frangible partially punched out circular areas forming portions of said top and bottom walls of said box, each pair of said frangible areas being aligned with the open ends of one of said cylinders; and D. shock absorption material being loosely placed in said housing cylinders above and below each explosive unit; wherein said frangible means, operating with said housing cylinders, permit a rapid longitudinal release of explosive gases generated upon a premature detonation of an explosive unit and wherein said housing cylinders isolate adjacent explosive units from a residual shock wave that would otherwise trigger sympathetic detonations.