Pyrotechnics introduction

Sturman, B., An Introduction to Chemical Thermodynamics, Pyrotechnic Chemistry, journal of Pyrotechnics, Inc., Whitewater, CO (2004), Chapter 3. 

Some of the most highly acclaimed displays commenced around 1865 at the Crystal Palace where Mr C. T. Brock set a standard for brilliance and colour which was said to defy competition. This improvement was due, in no small part, to the introduction of metal powders and chlorates into the pyrotechnic mixes, an innovation which is used even today. 

Clearly gunpowder has played a prominent role in the construction of early fireworks but, unless it was used in conjunction with other pyrotechnic mixtures, the range of effects was very limited. However, it continued to be the main performer in fireworks until the introduction... 

Lattice defects also play a prominent role in the reactivity of pyrotechnic materials, where the displacement or absence of atoms or ions from their normal positions within a lattice can have a pronounced effect on properties, as can the introduction of foreign species or dopants within a crystal. 

This book outlines the basic principles needed to understand the mechanism of explosions by chemical explosives. The history, theory and chemical types of explosives are introduced, providing the reader with information on the physical parameters of primary and secondary explosives. Thermodynamics, enthalpy, free energy and gas equations are covered together with examples of calculations, leading to the power and temperature of explosions. A very brief introduction to propellants and pyrotechnics is given, more information on these types of explosives should be found from other sources. This second edition introduces the subject of Insensitive Munitions (IM) and the concept of explosive waste recovery. Developments in explosive crystals and formulations have also been updated. This book is aimed primarily at A level students and new graduates who have not previously studied explosive materials, but it should prove useful to others as well. I hope that the more experienced chemist in the explosives industry looking for concise information on the subject will also find this book useful. 

D. Chapman, R. K. Wharton and G. E. Williamson, Studies of the Thermal Stability and Sensitiveness of Sulfiir/Chlorate Mixture Part I Introduction", Journo/ of Pyrotechnics, No. 6, 1997, pp 30-35. 

My own book. Modern Pyrotechnics of which this is a rewritten and expanded edition, was published in 1961. It filled a severely felt need for a commercially available introduction to the subject, with emphasis on, but not entirely restricted to, military requirements. 

Magnesium and aluminum are the most important pyrotechnic fuels in quantity of consumption as well as in effectiveness for creating light and heat. Magnesium, since its introduction into fireworks about 1865, has been in the forefront of the development of radiation effects— white and colored, visible, ultraviolet, and infrared, while aluminum, used pyrochemically since about 1895, has been primarily a heat source in the thermite process but has also taken an increasing part in light production such as in flash charges. 

This book focuses only on specialised pyrotechnic applications thus, for a more generalised introduction to pyrotechnics, the interested reader is referred to the books by Shidlovski [24], Ellem [25], McLain [26], Conkling [27, 28], Hardt [29] and Kosanke et al. [30]. 

---