Basic Theory of Fireworks and Firecrackers

Chemical Explosives is an assembly consisting of solid material or liquid or mixture of both that when subjected to the action (such as impact, heat, and friction) can lead to high-speed reaction accompanied by the formation of gases and heat and pressure effects are very high. Chemical explosives can be divided into two types, namely low explosive (low yield) and high explosive (high explosive power).

Low explosive explosives are explosives that have a low detonation velocity (velocity of detonation) between 400 and 800 meters per second. While the high explosive detonation velocity explosive has between 1,000 and 8500 meters per second. Low explosive explosives are often called propellant (booster) that is widely used as the bullets and rockets

Among low explosives are explosive known gunpowder (black powder or gun powder) and smokeless powder. For some communities in Indonesia, gunpowder is widely used as a maker of fireworks, including firecrackers and bombs rock fish. Gunpowder is the oldest type of explosives were found by the Chinese in the 9th century. Aside from being a maker of firecrackers and fireworks, gunpowder now widely used as propellants and rocket shells, rocket-signals, fireworks, explosive fuse, and fuse explosive wait.

Composition of Firecrackers

Some compositions are known to manufacture black powder, among others:

mixture of potassium nitrate (KNO3), charcoal, and sulfur;

mixture of sodium nitrate (NaNO3), charcoal, and sulfur;

mixture of potassium nitrate and charcoal (without sulfur); and

pyrodex, a mixture of potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate (KClO4), charcoal, sulfur, cyanoguanidin, sodium benzoate, and dextrin.

However, firecracker maker in Indonesia itself, not much use materials above, only a few such as Potassium, and sodium only.

i thought this is enough for now, for fire crackers, about fireworks is waiting for the next post.