U.s. Patent 4,293,314: Gelled Fuel-Air Explosiveoctober 6, 1981.

This 1981 US Patent documents a chemical innovation with serious military implications. Bertram O. Stull proposes substituting 1,2-butylene oxide for the more volatile and toxic fuels traditionally used in fuel-air explosives devices. The patent details how this compound's higher boiling point and lower vapor pressure make it significantly safer to store, handle, and deploy. Stull covers both the neat liquid formulation and a gelled version, stabilized with agents like silicon dioxide, that remains dispersible while in explosive form. The document reads as a practical engineering solution to a real problem: how to make devastating weapons less prone to accidental detonation during normal military operations. For readers interested in the chemistry of warfare or the forgotten technical details behind Cold War weaponry, this patent offers a window into the meticulous safety work happening behind the scenes of explosive weapons development.