So, you want to learn about some explosives, eh sonny? Well,
you have come to the right place. Starting with this file, a
series begins that will try to bring that world of demolitions
and fun ( ha ha ) a little closer to you. This serier,
ingeniously dubbed the "Explosive Files" will go through the
many types of explosives around. In addition, a few sidetracks
will be made on the way in the areas of fireworks or whatever
seems appropriate. As you delve through what is contained in the
files, you may find some helpful information, you may not. But
have fun reading them anyway.
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* *
* DISCLAIMER *
* :::::::::::::: *
* *
* The author and the management takes no *
* responsibility whatever for any of the *
* information presented from hereon in any *
* of the Explosive Files. There are no *
* warranties what-so-ever, express or *
* implied. *
* *
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If you haven't figured this one out yet, this file is
formatted for 80 columns. And the rest of the files are the same
way. So, using a quote I saw once on a file on a board,
" Use your damn printers people !!! "
And now on with the show.
EXPLOSIVES
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To start learning about explosives, you have got to start at
the begining. I plan to be as thorough as possible, but I may
forget things every now and then. The files should still be
complete though. So now to start at the begining......
An explosive is a substance that, under the influence of heat,
shock, or some other agency, undergoes a chemical reaction that
causes it to decompose or break up quickly with more or less
violence ( whew ). Explosives fly to pieces because the materials
composing them react in such a way that solids or liquids are
suddenly converted into gases, which tend to expand and rapidly
fill a larger volume of space. Heat is also developed and acts as
a catalyst ( something that changes the speed of the reaction in
some way. In this case it speeds it up. ). The noise associated
with an explosion is caused by air waves. An explosion is an
intensified combustion also.
The history of explosives is too long for one file, but
certain events are covered in individual files. For instance,
gunpowder's history is in the gunpowder file.
Lets narrow the scope a little here and get a little
introduction into explosives. How they are classified is a good
thing to know, so here it is.
There are basically 3 differnt types of explosives existing.
All explosives fall into one of these categories somewhere. What
follows is a listing of each of these categories with a brief
description and some examples.
I. Propellants
Propellants, or low explosives, are combustible materials,
containing within themselves all oxygen needed for their
combustion. They burn themselves out but do not explode, and
function by producing gas which explodes.
Examples are Black powder and smokeless powder.
II. Primary Explosives
Primary Explosives, or initiators as they are sometimes
called , explode or detonate when they are heated or subjected
to shock. They do not burn and sometimes they do not even
contain the elements necessary for combustion. The materials
themselves explode, and the explosion results whether they are
confined or not. Their brisance, or the shock which they produce
when they explode, differs considerably in different explosives,
as does their sensitivity to heat and the amount of heat they
give off.
Examples : Mercury Fulminate, Lead Azide, Fulminating Gold,
the mixture of Red Phosphorus with Potassium Chlorate, Copper
Acetylide, Nitrogen Sulfide, and Tetracene.
III. High Explosives
High Explosives detonate under the influence of the shock
of the explosion of a suitable primary explosive. They do not
function by burning. Most of them can be ignited by a flame
though and in a small amount generally burn tranquilly and can
be extinguished easily. If heated to a high temperature by
external heat or by their own combustion, they will sometimes
explode. They are generally more brisant and powerful than
primary explosives. They exert a mechanical effect on whatever
is near them when they explode, whether they are confined or
not.
Examples : Dynamite, Trinitrotoluene, Tetryl, Picric Acid,
Nitrocellulose, Nitroglycerin, Liqiud Oxygen mixed with wood
pulp, fuming Nitric Acid mixed with Nitrobenzene, Ammonium
Nitrate , Ammonium Perchlorate, and Nitroguanidine.
So Now you have taken the first step toward your explosive
education. The next file will be on igniters and will be
important for detonating stuff. See ya then.
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- * Flash Point * -
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I G N I T E R S --- + * + ---
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The Explosives Files II /! \
/ ! \
by Flash Point !
(c) 1983, 1984 The Agency; Prism Industries
Call The Agency (818) 794 - 8916
10 meg soon (I hope).
These files may not be changed at all when posted on other systems.
Please do not delete any of the credits.
These files may be posted on other systems with the permission of The Agency.
A small but major part of any explosive is how to ignite it.
Some materials, like gunpowder, will ignite quickly when in
contact with flame. But some explosives will not light by just
a flame and hence they require some thing with some more power,
maybe even another explosive. What follows is a list of your
basic igniters.
BLACK MATCH
Black match is made with fine, soft cotton twine and
meal powder. It is easily made by twisting 3 or 4 strands of the
twine together and covering the resulting cord with a paste made
by mixing the meal powder with water. The excess paste should be
wiped off and the cord should be allowed to dry while stretched
across a frame. A slower match can be made by twisting the twine
and using a homemade black powder as the paste. This powder is
made by mixing 6 parts Potassium nitrate, 1 part sulfur, and 1
part soft wood charcoal. This match and slight derivations are
used on nearly ever firework available. Its cheap, reliable if
made right, and easy.
QUICK MATCH
Quick match is black match inserted into a paper tube
which does not need to fit tightly. When light, the black match
burns through the tube at a extremely quick rate.
MINERS FUSE
Miners Fuse is also called Safety Fuse or Bickford Fuse. It
consists of a central thread surrounded by a core of black powder
enclosed within a tube of woven threads, which is then surrounded
by waterproof materials, etc. It commonly burns at the rate of 1
foot a minute. When the fire reaches the end, a jet of flame
about 1 inch long shoots out for the purpose of igniting black
powder or lighting a blasting cap.
DETONATING FUSE
Detonating Fuse, or Cordeau, is a narrow tube filled with
high explosive. When the explosion is initiated at one end by a
detonator, the explosion travels along the tube with a high
velocity which causes other high explosives in its path to
explode. In America, cordeau is made from lead tubes filled with
TNT, from aluminum or tin tubes filled with Picric Acid, and from
tubes of woven fabric filled with Nitrocellulose or PETN ( yes,
thats Pentaerythrite Tetranitrate ).
BLASTING CAPS
Instead of making a whole seperate file out of blasting
caps, my first intention, I will just put the stuff here.
Blasting caps were invented in 1867 by Alfred Nobel, who
also first made Nitroglycerin, invented dynamite and blasting
gelatin, and provided funding to start the Nobel prizes. What a
cool dude. There exist 3 different kinds of blasting caps,
varying from a simple fuse wrapped by explosive to a complicated
waterproff cap involving an electrical detonation. . There is
also 8 grades, or strengths of caps, denoted by numbers ( No. 1,
No. 6, etc. ). Usually the strength is marked on the cap.
SIDENOTE : Electrically ignited caps are the most common
type available. If you live anywhere near a quarry, try to get a
tour of the place. Watch wherever you walk. blasting caps abound
in areas like this. When nobodys looking, pocket a few.
What follows is a generally useless chart, but here it is
anyway. It shows a little about the strengths of each cap type
( see another file about mercury fulminate ).
Weight of Mercury External
Fulminate Dimensions
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grams diameter,mm length,mm
::::: ::::::::::: :::::::::
No. 1 .30 5.5 16
No. 2 .40 5.5 22
No. 3 .54 5.5 26
No. 4 .65 6 28
No. 5 .80 6 30-32
No. 6 1.00 6 35
No. 7 1.50 6 40-45
No. 8 2.00 6-7 50-55
Make sure you check out the next 3 files which are probably
the best ones out of the whole group.
!>Flash PointFlash Point<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
79 18 3
78 19 3
80 20 0
There are a few more variations of gunpowder existing too,
so check out the next file for a listing.
A common myth about gunpowder is that it explodes. This is
wrong ( I know a few people out there are saying I'm full of
shit, right ? Well, it's the truth ). To really understand waht
happens it is necessary to know a little about chemistry. I'll
try to explain it to the average person now.
The formula for saltpeter is KNO3 ( Potassium nitrate ). If
you don't know yet, the O stands for an oxygen atom, and there
are 3 of them. The 3 is supposed to be sub-scripted by the way,
so just imagine that it is. This means that in the gunpowder
mixture, there is a whole bunch of oxygen atoms. Well, pure
oxygen burns. But how does it break out of the KNO3 ? The oxygen
is attracted to the sulphur and charcoal, but is bonded to the
nitrogen ( N ) and can't get away normally. When it is lit, the
ignition breaks the N-O bonds and in an instantaneous moment
solid and gaseous products are formed. What ends up happening is
that the gases cause the explosion. Its is really more
complicated than that, but I would take a good 50 sectors going
into detail. For a better understanding of this, pick up an
encyclopedia or ask your chemistry teacher.
!>Flash PointFlash Point ( geocities.com/southbeach/shores) ( geocities.com/southbeach)