UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 681 
Also Bulletin 26 of The Engineering Experiment Station 
The Pennsylvania State College 
Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry 
CARL L. ALSBERG, Chief 
and the Engineering Experiment Station of The Pennsylvania State College 
R. L. SACKETT, Dean 
Washington, D. C. 
May 18, 1918 
GRAIN-DUST EXPLOSIONS 
INVESTIGATION IN THE EXPERIMENTAL ATTRITION MILL 
AT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE COLLEGE 
By 
B. W. DEDRICK, Instructor in Milling Engineering, and R. B. FEHR, Assistant 
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State College, 
in collaboration with DAVID J. PRICE, Engineer in Charge, Grain- 
Dust Explosion Investigations, Bureau of Chemistry, 
Department of Agriculture 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Object and Scope of the Investigation . 1 
Principles Underlying Grain-Dust Ex- 
plosions * 4 
Apparatus Used in Investigation ... 6 
Materials Used in Investigation ... 10 
Experimental Work 10 
Experiments from April 6, 1916, to Octo- 
ber 3, 1917 12 
Page 
Discussion of Results and Conclusions . 39 
Summary of Conclusions ...... 48 
Appendix: 
Recommendations for Future Inves- 
tigations *9 
Resume of Some Past Explosions . 49 
Bibliography 52 
WASHINGTON 
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1918 
