Almost a thousand years ago the Chinese invented something that nowadays has become a traditional part of almost any big celebration: New Year’s Eve, sport matches, weddings, festivals, etc. THE FIREWORKS!! Those aerial fireworks shows seem magical, but the science behind them is actually very easy to understand.
Mostly, around the holiday’s time, various fireworks displays can be found. These are for the most part sparkles, firecrackers and aerial shells, the most common fireworks. But you can buy them all year round online, visiting websites such as Sky King Fireworks.
Sparkles
They are made from a mixture of potassium perchlorate and dextrinron, and iron, aluminum, steel and magnesium or zinc dust is added to create those shimmering sparks. Normally, water is added this chemical mix and the resulting solution is poured onto a wire or stick. This is the most typical sparkle. It usually burns up to one minute.
Firecrackers
The firecrackers are the ancestors of the fireworks and have been around for several hundred years. To main components are used to create the firecrackers: gunpowder (charcoal, potassium nitrate and sulfur) and flash powder. These are then put in a paper tube recipient, with an attached fuse to be able to light the powder. To brighten the explosion, to the composition of a firecracker aluminum is sometimes added.
Aerial fireworks
These are the spectacular ones, which you see in a Forth of July show or on New Years Eve. Usually, they come in a shell form that has 4 parts: container (made of paper), stars (made of sparkler composition, the come in the form of cubes, spheres or cylinders), bursting charge (made of firecracker charge) and fuse. The shells are launched from a mortar, which is basically a steel pipe with a lifting charge (black powder). Igniting it, the black powder will explode, lighting the shell’s fuse. The shell’s fuse will burn igniting then the bursting charge. That’s when the firework will explode. Fireworks can be one shell only or multibreak shells (they burn in 2 or 3 phases). They are ignited by different fuses and have a domino effect, each one ignites the next. Some fireworks are considered dangerous and various states have different laws punishing the purchase and use of unstable fireworks. Where to legally buy fireworks? Well… across 24 American states and different legal websites and providers.
