Flare Formulas

Incompatibilities may be caused by the presence of base metals and of salts of a relatively nobler metal such as copper or mercury. This incompatibility may extend to the metal body with which the mixture is in intimate contact. The situation does not arise frequently, but one might face it with flare formulas for blue flame,... 

Sodium nitrate carries the specification number MIL-S-322B, covering two classes, technical and double refined, and two granulations. The purer material, ground to below 50 average particle size (30 15 jw), is prescribed for flare formulas of the Rita type and the material predried prior to mixing. 

Heavy metal nitrates are all highly hydrated but the anhydrous salts can be synthesized by special methods or, exceptionally, obtained by careful dehydration. Perhaps they belong to the pyrotechnics of the future. Thorium and cerium nitrate are actually found in a patented flare formula and in some old flash powders for civilian use, purportedly because of lower smoke formation of the residual oxide and perhaps with the thought of selective spectral emission from the rare earths. 

No, marriage does not always come down to polite formulae. What, then, is it that burns in my belly when I look at Mark The anger squirms again, only it s not at him, it s at me, at this flare of desire that blots out Adam and casts our love into darkness. 

Formula 165, developed by Dr Ellern as F/C-2 for the "Flare Ignition and Ejec-. tion Disk " is used with a binder of NC dissolved in butyl-acetate and methanol... 

Formula 168, designated as "First Fire for Illuminating Flares" contains binder Laminae 4110 or 4116 with 1.4% catalyst Lupersol DDM. Used in pressed-on form as the final igniting mixt in many illuminating flares and illuminating candles... 

Besides intensively draining the fire of the Liver, Long Dan Cao can also dry damp-heat. It is particularly used in conditions where there is excess heat in the Liver that flares upwards and causes disorders in the head and sensory orifices, as well as in conditions where there is damp-heat in the Liver that moves downwards and causes disorders in the Lower-Jiao and the genital area. In a formula to treat acute excess conditions of both Liver fire and damp-heat, Long Dan Cao is often used as chief. 

Chuan Lian Zi is very bitter and cold. It can intensively drain the Liver-fire and direct the Liver-Qi downwards. It is selected in formulas for treating syndromes where Liver-fire flares up and Liver-Qi movement is disturbed. The disorder is manifested as irritability, distension in the hypochondria, insomnia, quick temper, red eyes, headache, red tongue with a yellow coating and a forceful, wiry and rapid pulse. Because Chuan Lian Zi is very bitter and cold, it easily injures the Stomach. This herb should not be used for a long period of time or in large dosage, because it is a toxic herb. Overdose may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspnea and arrhythmia. 

These mineral substances can effectively and quickly descend the Liver-Yang and Heart-fire. In the formula to pacify the Liver in a sub-acute condition, they are particularly selected to strongly sedate the Heart-spirit and calm the mind. Since the Liver is the mother organ of the Heart, Liver-Yang ascending may cause up-flaring of Heart-fire, which manifests as restlessness, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, a bitter taste in the mouth and a red face. 

This formula can nourish the Stomach and generate body fluid. It can also direct rebellious Qi in the Stomach downwards. It treats the syndrome where the Qi and Yin of the Stomach and the Lung are deficient, and the empty-fire of these organs flares up. When the Lung and Stomach lose nourishment from the Yin and fluid, cough, spitting of saliva and... 

Zr hydride is also used in pyrot formulations. Ellem (Ref 7, p 354) reports on a conductive primer mixt contg fine Zr (15), Zr hydride (30), Pb dioxide (20), Ba nitrate (15) and PETN (20%), while both he (p 379) and Weingarten Knapp (Ref 3) detail the following formula for a pressed-on first fire for illuminating flares Si (20),... 

Calculate the effective flare stack height, H Use the formula... 

Valuable, though often obsolescent, information is contained in the Technical Manuals of the Army and the Air Force and a number of similar publications by the Department of the Navy. - Essentially, these are catalogs of standardized and proven hardware such as parachute flares, smoke grenades, booby traps, simulators for training purposes, ignition devices, and many others. Formulas are rare, dimensions sketchy, performance data scant, but altogether there is much useful information for the pyrotechnician in all of the literature cited. 

Modern formulas for illuminating shells are similar to that for the Mk 24 flare except for the higher amount of binder (Formulas 33, 34, and 35). 

In World War II, a flare was designed to be lit under water for silhouetting of submerged submarines. Its interesting formula is given as Formula 36, but I do not know if it performed well. Obviously it was not tactically useful. 

In compiling a list of compositions for colored flame production, formulas have been taken from specifications for certain items and a number of such formulas could be found in a rather unusual source, i.e, a manual on the toxic hazards of pyrotechnic items. Others have come from the writer s notebooks, a few from patent disclosures or from special reports. Since there is now little overlapping between the formulas for ordnance items and for fireworks, the latter, which are appended to the following chapter, arc only of passing interest to the designer of military flares and stars. 

Smith and Koch have reported on the use of the compounds Me(NH3>a (C104)2 where Me stands for Ca, Sr, and Ba. A sample received about ten years ago from the G. Frederick Smith Chemical Company with the formula Sr en4(Ci04>2 (en=ethylenediamine) is still in excellent, barely agglomerated condition, and when ignited with a match yields a flame of beautiful deep red coloration. Douda has reported on the properties of tris(glycine) strontium perchlorate with the same goal in mind, but standardized colored flares have not as yet come forth from these interesting efforts. 

Formula 164 is a somewhat unusual specialty item for paper destruction. Formula 165 was developed by the author as FIC-2 for the XA2A parachute flare, the developmental predecessor of the Aft 24. The mixture is applied to several layers of surgical gauze. Originally, a solution of nylon was used as binder for this, as well as for a second expulsion and fire transfer disk of a somewhat different formulation containing a sizable percentage of tetranitrocarbazole CTNC). 

Used in Mk 5 and Mk 6 Aircraft Parachute Flares. Light output in terms of candlepower per square inch of burning area or candle-power seconds per gram of composition is substantially lower than the output achieved by Formulas 32 through 35. 

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