Fireworks: The Art, Science, and Technique

FIREWORKS
The Art Science and Technique......Page 1
PICTURES OF METAL SPARKS
......Page 3
PREFACE......Page 4
CONTENTS......Page 6
Part 1. A brief history of Japanese fireworks......Page 16
1.1. Nature as the background......Page 17
1.2. The elements of Fireworks......Page 18
1.3. Rough drawing......Page 20
1.4. The names of fireworks......Page 24
2.1. Simplicity and clearness......Page 27
2.2. Harmony and contrast......Page 28
2.3. Breaking harmony......Page 31
2.5. Rhythum and firework music......Page 32
3. Various beauties of firework flowers......Page 33
4. Example of display......Page 37
5. Thermit and the principles of combustion......Page 41
6.1. Activation energy......Page 42
6.2. Ignition by heat radiation......Page 44
(1) Using black powder as the first composition......Page 45
6.4. Ignition by mechanical action......Page 46
7.1. The progress of combustion......Page 50
7.2. The stability of combustion......Page 53
7.3. Explosion......Page 57
Table 4. Detonation velocities of report compositions......Page 59
8.1. Human eyesight......Page 60
8.2. Brightness and colour......Page 62
9. Flames......Page 68
9.1. Low temperature flames......Page 69
9.2. High temperature flames......Page 71
9.3. Reaction in the flame......Page 72
(1) Strontium spectra......Page 73
(2) Barium spectra......Page 74
(4) Copper spectra......Page 75
(5) Sodium spectra......Page 77
9.5. The adjustment of the colour of flame......Page 78
(1) The spectra which occur from oxidizers and other inorganic substances......Page 79
(2) The spectra which come from fuels......Page 80
10.1. The structure of a fire dust particle......Page 81
10.3. The division of fire dust particles......Page 82
10.4. The phenomenon of Senko-Hanabi(Japanese sparklers)......Page 83
10.5. Various relationship with the phenomenon of
Senko-Hanabi......Page 89
11. Smoke......Page 90
11.2. Physical smoke......Page 91
11.3. Chemical smoke......Page 94
(2) Filtration of the A-substance......Page 96
Table 7. Limits of the potassium chlorate content in
dye smoke compositions......Page 97
12. Sound or noise......Page 98
13. Materials......Page 100
(1) Potassium nitrate, KNO3......Page 101
(2) Potassium chlorate, KClO3......Page 103
(3) Potassium perchlorate, KClO4......Page 107
(4) Ammonium perchlorate, NH4ClO4......Page 109
(5) Strontium nitrate, Sr(NO3)2......Page 113
(6) Sodium nitrate, NaNO3......Page 115
(7) Barium nitrate, Ba(NO3)2......Page 117
(8) Barium chlorate, Ba(ClO3)2 *H20......Page 118
13.3. Colour producing agents......Page 119
(9) Strontium carbonate, SrCO3......Page 120
(10) Strontium oxalate, SrC2O4
.H2O......Page 121
(12) Sodium oxalate, Na2C2O4......Page 122
(14) Sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3......Page 123
(16) Barium carbonate, BaCO3......Page 124
(17) Copper acetoarsenite(Paris green),
3CuO.As2O3+ Cu(CH3COO)2......Page 125
(19) Copper sulphate, CuSO4 *5H20......Page 126
(22) Shellac......Page 127
(23) Rosin(Colophony, Common rosin, Wood Resin-Pine,
Resin-Colophony)......Page 129
(24) Pine root pitch......Page 130
Table 10. The comparson of burning rates between shellac
and accroides resin......Page 131
(28) Charcoal......Page 132
(30) Lamp black (Pine black)......Page 135
(31) Aluminium, Al......Page 136
(32) Magnesium, Mg......Page 138
(33) Magnalium......Page 140
Table 12. Comparison of the resistance of aluminium,
magnalium and magnesium against various salts
at room temperature......Page 141
(35) Titanium, Ti......Page 142
(38) Zinc dust, Zn......Page 143
(39) Starch, (C6H10O5)n......Page 144
(41) Cane sugar, C12H22O11......Page 145
(43) Sulphur, S......Page 146
(44) Realgar, As2S2......Page 147
(45) Antimony trisulphide, Sb2S3......Page 149
(46) Red phosphorus, P......Page 150
(47) Rhodamine B......Page 153
(49) Oil red......Page 154
(51) Auramine......Page 155
(52) Oil yellow......Page 156
(54) Indigo pure......Page 157
(56) Minium, Red lead, Pb3O4......Page 158
(57) Zinc oxide, ZnO......Page 159
(58) Potassium bichromate, Potassium dichromate,
K2Cr2O7......Page 160
(59) Boric acid, H3BO3......Page 161
Table 14. Comparison of the suppressing effect of weak
acids for the decomposition of wet aluminium
powder and wet compositions which contain aluminium......Page 162
(62) Chlorinated isoprene rubber, Pa on, ADEKA......Page 163
(64) Polyvinyl chloride, PVC, CH2:CH.Cl......Page 164
(66) Anthracene, C14H10......Page 166
(68) Picric acid, Trinitrophenol, C6H2(NO2)3OH......Page 167
(70) Guanidine nitrate, NH:C(NH2)2.HNO3......Page 168
13.7. Paste and binding agents......Page 169
(71) Soluble glutinous rice starch (Mizinko)......Page 172
(73) Wheat starch......Page 176
(74) Casein......Page 177
(76) Nitrocellulose, Cellulose nitrate, Nitrocotton......Page 178
(77) Polyester (unsaturated polyester)......Page 180
(78) Kozo-paper......Page 183
(80) Mitsumata-paper......Page 185
(84) Other paper......Page 186
(85) Hollow paper spheres......Page 187
(86) Black powder, Gunpowder......Page 189
(87) Fuses......Page 190
(88) Cotton and hemp string......Page 191
(90) Rice chaff and immature rice......Page 192
(1) Dry process of mixing materials......Page 193
(2) Wet process for mixing materials......Page 196
14.2. Shapes......Page 197
(1) Cut stars......Page 198
(2) Pasted stars......Page 200
(3) Tapped stars......Page 204
(4) Pressed stars......Page 205
a) Continuous process......Page 206
b) Step by step process......Page 207
(2) Loading with dough......Page 210
14.4. Degeneration of the charged compositions......Page 211
14.5. Pasting......Page 212
(2) Quick match......Page 213
(3) Pasting a prime composition on the end of
an industrial fuse......Page 214
14.7. Drying......Page 215
(1) Drying in the sun......Page 216
(2) Drying by infra-red light......Page 218
(3) Drying by warm air......Page 219
(5) Drying by vacuum or by removing
moisture in the air......Page 220
15.1. Bursting charge......Page 222
Table 21. The optimum weight ratio for the composition
of the bursting charges in relation to the
materials of cores......Page 229
a) Low temperature class compositions......Page 230
b) High temperature class compositions......Page 231
c) High temperature class compositions which
contain ammonium perchlorate......Page 233
(2) Silver compositions......Page 234
a) Metallic fire dust compositions......Page 235
b) Charcoal fire dust compositions......Page 236
c) Black powder-metal fire dust compositions......Page 237
Table 22. Twinklers of the ammonium perchlorate base......Page 239
(5) Flare stars......Page 240
a) Stars of smoke dye compositions......Page 241
b) Stars of non-dye smoke compositions......Page 243
15.3. Thunder(Flash report)......Page 245
15.5. Hummers......Page 247
15.8. Falling leaves......Page 249
15.9. Kyoku......Page 250
15.10. Waterfalls......Page 251
16.2. Preparations......Page 253
16.3. The assembly of Warimono......Page 257
16.4. Pasting shells......Page 264
Table 23. The standard values of stars for Warimono Shells......Page 267
17.2. Assembling Poka......Page 268
17.3. Pasting the shells and the bursting charges......Page 272
Table 24. The standard values for the bursting charge of
a Poka shell using black powder)......Page 273
18.3. Crown willow......Page 274
18.6. Charcoal ball......Page 275
19. Assembly of Italian type shells......Page 276
20.1. Ascending silver dragon(tail)......Page 277
20.2. Ascending tiger tail......Page 278
20.4. Ascending small flowers......Page 279
20.5. Ascending thunder......Page 280
21.1. Lance-work (Fire pictures)......Page 281
21.2. Starmine......Page 282
21.3. Roman candle......Page 283
21.4. Gold fish......Page 284
21.5. Drivers, saxons......Page 285
21.6. Waterfalls......Page 286
22.1. The special conditions for toy fireworks......Page 287
(1) Red phosphorus-chlorate compositions......Page 289
(2) Realgar-chlorate composition......Page 292
(3) Snake composition......Page 293
22.3. Toy firework devices(Matrix method)......Page 294
23. Principles of safety control......Page 299
24.1. Under the principle of conservation......Page 300
24.2. Under the principle of maintenance......Page 304
24.3. Under the principle of clearness......Page 305
24.5. Under the principle of separation
and isolation......Page 306
25.1. The combination of unit processes......Page 307
(1) Warimono shells......Page 310
(3) Lancework......Page 311
(1) personal safety......Page 312
(3) Clarity......Page 313
(5) Separation and isolation......Page 314
Table 26. Electric charge of A caused by rubbing B......Page 315
(4) Simplicity......Page 316
26.1 Fire precautions......Page 317
26.2. Misfires......Page 318
26.3. Preparation for display......Page 320
26.4. Preparation of shells......Page 321
(1) Ordinary shooting......Page 322
(2) Quick shooting......Page 323
(3) The sweeping of mortars......Page 325
26.7. Firing precautions......Page 326
26.8. The operations for exhibition fireworks......Page 327
26.9. Control of a great display......Page 328
26.10. The practical details affecting the
firing of shells......Page 330
Table 28. The classification of the sensitivity of
fundamental two component compositions......Page 332
28. Burning character of some fundamental compositions......Page 336
29. Parachute, flags and balloons......Page 338
30. Miscellaneous compositions......Page 341
TABLES......Page 14
Table 1. Classification of firework light sources......Page 19
Table 2. Standard diameters of round flowers......Page 22
Table 3. Experimental values of critical wind velocity......Page 55
Table 5. Observed flame temperature for representative fuels......Page 70
Table 6. Characteristic values of representative pyrogens......Page 93
Table 9. Intensities of thunder reports in the sky......Page 99
Table 11. Chemicalproof nature of magnesium coatings......Page 139
Table 13. A series of qualitative tests for mixtures of
red phosphorus and an oxidizer to determine
sensitivity to impact and friction using a hammer
and anvil in different kinds of metal......Page 151
Table 15. Comparison of the characteristics of water soluble
binding agents used for 10mm cubic stars......Page 171
Table 16. The influence of chemicals upon the viscosity
of soluble glutinous rice starch......Page 173
Table 17. Grades of paper hemi-spheres......Page 188
Table 18. Applications of drying methods......Page 221
Table 19. Characteristic values of bursting charges
for chrysanthemums......Page 226
Table 20. Sensitivity of bursting charges......Page 227
Table 25. Examples of toy fireworks on the market......Page 297
Table 27. The practical display data (in Osaka, 1975)......Page 331
Table 29. Drop hammer test with a 2 kg hammer, nonexplosive
height in cm for 50 trials......Page 334
Table 30. Friction test by Yamada's friction machine,
non-explosive weight in kg for 50 trials......Page 335
REFERENCES......Page 344
C......Page 346
F......Page 347
M......Page 348
R......Page 349
S......Page 350
ERRATA AND SUPPLEMENTS......Page 351
2.1. General principles and applications......Page 352
2.2. Dichromate reactions......Page 358
REFERENCES......Page 359
Table 1: Table for foreseeing degeneration reaction at 30°C with two materials in a solid mixture
based on the minimum solubility law.
......Page 355
Note for Table 1:......Page 354