Editing Cordite (section)

=== Development ===
[[File:Heike Kamerlingh Onnes - 33 - James Dewar in the Royal Institution in London, around 1900.png|thumb|upright|Sir James Dewar at work]]
A United Kingdom government committee, known as the "Explosives Committee", chaired by Sir [[Frederick Augustus Abel|Frederick Abel]], monitored foreign developments in explosives and obtained samples of Poudre B and Ballistite; neither of these smokeless powders was recommended for adoption by the Explosives Committee.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Abel, Sir [[James Dewar]] and W Kellner, who was also on the committee, developed and jointly patented (Nos 5,614 and 11,664 in the names of Abel and Dewar) in 1889 a new ballistite-like propellant in 1889. It consists of (by weight) 58% [[nitroglycerin]], 37% [[guncotton]] (nitrocellulose) and 5% [[petroleum jelly]]. Using [[acetone]] as a [[solvent]], it was extruded as [[spaghetti]]-like rods initially called "cord powder" or "the Committee's modification of Ballistite", but this was swiftly abbreviated to "Cordite".{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Cordite began as a ''double-base'' propellant. In the 1930s, ''triple-base'' was developed by including a substantial proportion of [[nitroguanidine]]. Triple-base propellant reduced the disadvantages of double-base propellant – its relatively high temperature and significant flash. [[Imperial Chemical Industries]]'s (ICI) World War II double-base ''AN'' formulation also had a much lower temperature, but it lacked the flash reduction properties of N and NQ triple-base propellants.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Whilst cordite is classified as an [[explosive]], it is not employed as a high explosive. It is designed to [[deflagration|deflagrate]], or burn, to produce high pressure gases.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}