Trains Used in Pyrotechnics

Since some pyrotechnic compositions are relatively difficult to ignite, an ignition train similar to that used for igniting BkPdr or smokeless propellants is used to initiate the main pyrotechn ic charge 

Accdg to Ref 37, pp 3 6, the ignition ttain for pyrotechnics begins with an initiator. usually a primer which may be of the percussion, friction, or electric type. The flame produced on initiation is transmitted successive- 

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Delay trains used in pyrotechnics are described in Section 4, Part F... 

Ignition Compositions for Use With Pyrotechnics. This subject was treated in considerable detail in Vol 4 under Detonator, Igniters and Primers, Sect 3, Part B Ignition Train Used in Pyrotechnics, pp D759-768, with the following additional reference ... 

Primers are used for the ignition of propellants and pyrotechnics. They are categorized as percussion primers, used mainly for the ignition of propellants, and stab primers, used in explosive trains of fuses and electric primers. 

Projectile Simulators. Airburst and ground, burst simulators are used in connection with artillery training. They are actually pyrotechnic items as they contain pyrotechnic compns (Ref 40b, p 4). Various types of simulators are described in Ref 51c, pp 5-13 to 5-18... 

Fuze, Inert. A regular fuze but contg no explosive, pyrotechnic or chemical agent. Used in training... 

Fireworks are a part of die field of civilian pyrotechnics (Greek pyr, fire techne, art) the rest of the field is railway fusees and torpedoes. Military pyrotechnics includes lights for signals and illumination, noise makers for training, heat sources, smokes, and some minor rocket effects. Many of the same formulas and devices are used in both fields with the military devices more sturdily built... 

Burning Train or Igniter Train, Step-by-step arrangement of charges in pyrotechnic items by which initial fire from the primer is transmitted and intensified until it reaches and sets off the burster charge. Explosive ammunition uses a similar series, called explosive train... 

The flash dets are used in fuze trains preceded by some nondetonating burning element, such as a percussion cap or pyrotechnic delay element. They are used mainly in mechanical out-of-line safe-and-arm fuze trains and serve the purpose of both explosive relay and detonator. 

The experimentation with, and the use of, pyrotechnic materials can he dangerous it is important for the reader to be duly cautioned. Anyone without the required training and experience should never experiment with nor use pyrotechnic materials. Also, the amount of information presented in these lecture notes is not a substitute for the necessary training and experience. 

Since percussion primers are used for initiation of explosives as well as ignition of propellants in small guns and gas cartridges, and also for purely pyrotechnical initiation such as of pressed delay trains and section charges, the formulations vary with the purpose, though some formulas are said to be equally applicable to detonation or ignition. In other cases, low-violence and low-gas formation are claimed to make the primer especially useful for pyrotechnic ignition. 

Two types of jobs in the pyrotechnic field are pyrotechnic engineers and pyrotechnicians. Pyrotechnic engineers design and create the explosions used in fireworks manufacture. They have a comprehensive understanding of the chemistry and physics used to craft a chemical reaction that is safe and aesthetically pleasing as well as training specific to creating... 

Releases may also occur from the use of this chemical in smoke and pyrotechnic devices. Hexachloroethane content of the smoke devices is about 44.5-46% of the total solid material. The smoke device bums, producing smoke which is mainly zinc chloride, but contains some hexachloroethane. It was estimated that about 0.3-5% of the mass of the reagents in the device is released to air as hexachloroethane in the smoke, assuming a 70% bum efficiency (Katz et al. 1980 Novak et al. 1987). On this basis, it was estimated that during 1982-1984, a maximum of about 6,683 kg (14,700 pounds) of hexachloroethane was released to the atmosphere at Fort Irwin, California, a major military training facility (Novak et al. 1987). Hexachloroethane in smoke (aerosol) was measured in a wind tunnel at concentrations ranging from 0.64-1.26 mg/m3 (average 0.89 mg/m3) (Cataldo et al. 1989). 

In addition to their value as entertainment, pyrotechnics have military applications as signaling, training, and combat devices. Burning naphthalene and anthracene produce black smoke that can be used to screen off an... 

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