K. L. and B. J. Kosanke Display operators need to be aware of the potential for some tiger tail comets to produce extremely dangerous fallout. The problem was discovered only recently and was then investigated by the authors on a visit to the display company’s facility. The shells in question are 4- and 5-inch (100- …
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As Defined by Regulation, What Is Fireworks Flash Powder?
K. L. Kosanke and L. Weinman Although widely used, the term “flash powder” is poorly defined; there is nothing even approaching universal agreement about exactly which pyrotechnic formulations are and are not fireworks flash powders. This would be of some concern under any circumstance; however, it is the use of the term—flash powder—in regulations that …
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A Report on the Fireworks Accident at Carmel, Western Australia
R. I. Grose and K. L. Kosanke* ABSTRACT: The investigation into an accident at Carmel, Western Australia in March 2002 found that the magnitude of explosions occurring in licensed and unlicensed storage areas was significantly greater than would have been expected from the UN hazard classification of items stored within them. Use of revised UN …
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A Brief Description of the Construction and Functioning of Common Electric Matches
Lawrence Weinman and K. L. Kosanke ABSTRACT: A simple description of the construction and the physical principles governing the function of common electric matches and some implications of these principles for testing and firing them are presented. Keywords: electric match, heat resistance, current, volt, pyrogen Ref: Selected Pyrotechnic Publication of K.L. and B.J Kosanke, Part …
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Manual Firing Delay Times for Aerial Shells
K. L. and B. J. Kosanke Introduction: As used in this article, the definition of “manual firing delay time” is the time interval between the manual ignition of the tip of the shell leader delay element and when the aerial shell fires from its mortar. This delay time is of interest in the context of …
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Typical Mortar Recoil Forces Produced When Firing Spherical Aerial Shells
K. L. Kosanke and L. Weinman (Included in the text of this article are a series of notes. These notes present ancillary information that may be of interest to some readers but are not strictly needed within the context of this article. Thus readers should feel free to ignore the notes unless they desire more …
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The Effect of Intentionally Caused Fire Leaks into 2-1/4-Inch Consumer Fireworks Shells
K. L. and B. J. Kosanke A series of experiments are being conducted to more definitively establish the difference between the causes of so-called flowerpots[1] andmuzzle breaks.[2] Testing was performed to document the effect of firing small firework aerial shells after having intentionally provided fire leaks into those shells. The idea for this testing originated …
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Shogun Electric Match Connectors
K. L. and B. J. Kosanke The most common point of attachment of an electric match to a fireworks aerial shell is via the shell leader, and most commonly the installation of the electric match is performed by a display company when preparing for a display. Because of the difficulty of performing that operation with …
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Color Values and Spectra of the Principal Emitters in Colored Flames
W. Meyerriecks* and K. L. Kosanke ABSTRACT: The emission spectra of many of the more important emitters in pyrotechnic flames were collected. For this purpose solutions and suspensions of sodium, potassium, calcium, strontium, barium and copper salts were aspirated into a propane gas flame as the excitation source. Performing instrument corrections and using appropriate data reduction …
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The Effect of Reflected Blast Waves in HDPE Mortars
K. L. Kosanke and L. T. Weinman A recent article discussed a problem with some comet shells exploding as they were being fired, and thus seriously damaging the HDPE mortars being used.[1] Included in the article were photographs of the two mortars that had been damaged. In these photos, it was clear that, while both …
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