An Instrument for the Evaluation of Black Powder as a Propellant for Aerial Shells

K. L. & B. J. Kosanke ABSTRACT: None of the standard laboratory tests for Black Powder provide a direct indication of its performance characteristics for propelling aerial fireworks shells. Typically such testing must be performed by firing dummy projectiles on a test range—with all the problems that can entail, including the use of fairly large …
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Metal–Fluorocarbon Pyrolants: IX. Burn rate and Radiometric Performance of Magnesium/Teflon/Viton (MTV) Modified with Zirconium

Ernst-Christian Koch Abstract: The burn rate, u (mm s−1) of fuel rich magnesium/Teflon/Viton (MTV) is increased by 65% upon addition of zirconium whereas the spectral efficiency Eβ (J g−1 sr−1) is reduced by 15%.   Keywords: Burn rate, zirconium, magnesium, MTV, polytetrafluoroethylene, radiometry, TeflonTM, VitonTM Ref: JPyro, Issue 28, 2009, pp16-18 (J28_16) 

Fireworks on the Sumida River

Damien Liu-Brennan and Tadao Yoshida Abstract: Fireworks (hanabi) were originally displayed on the Sumida River in 1733 as a memorial service for the victims of starvation due to crop failures and plague, and an epidemic of cholera. The fireworks display originated as the “Ryōgoku Kawabiraki Hanabi” (Ryōgoku River-Opening Fireworks) with only 20 fireworks displayed. Although …
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Sound Level Analysis of Firecrackers

Jeya Rajendran and T. L.Thanulingam Abstract: The noise levels from sound-producing firecrackers, both commercial and newly formulated, were measured. Commercial sound-producing firecrackers produce noise in the range of 130.7 dB(AI)/150.4 dB(C) peak to 142.8 dB(AI)/162.6 dB(C) peak at a distance of 4 m. A set of pyrotechnic compositions of potassium nitrate (KNO3), sulphur (S), aluminium (Al) and boric acid (H3BO3) …
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Fireplay

David Howard Abstract: ‘‘Fireplay’’ is a generalist overview of pyrotechnics. It is indebted (and acknowledges its debt) to seminal works such as Brock’s ‘‘History of Pyrotechnics’’ (1949), yet develops an aesthetic – even metaphysical – discussion of the key question for our profession: ‘Why do fireworks move people?’ Keywords: History, aesthetics, gunpowder Ref: JPyro, Issue …
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A Thermokinetic Model for the Combustion of Strobe Composition

Matthew L. Davies Abstract: A model chemical reaction scheme, in which a substance undergoes a two-stage decay process, is developed. It is shown that this reaction scheme follows the Shimizu hypothesis for pyrotechnic strobe combustion; both decay stages are temperature dependent with only the second generating a significant quantity of heat. The model is derived …
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