Flash Compounds

Flash Compounds 

mixtures for igniting powders, solid rocket fuels, and pyrotechnic compositions such as incendiaries and illuminators. The action of flash compounds consists in heating part of a flammable material to its ignition temperature.

The combustion temperature of a flash compound must be at least 200° C higher than the ignition temperature of the material being ignited. The higher the combustion temperature of a flash compound and the greater the amount of cinder that remains on the surface of the material being ignited, the stronger the action of the flash compound. Flash compounds contain a fuel (coal, sulfur, magnesium, or zirconium), oxidizers (potassium nitrate or barium peroxide), and often a binding substance such as resins or glues. An example of a commonly used flash compound is a mixture containing 48 percent barium nitrate, 30 percent barium peroxide, 13 per-cent magnesium, and 9 percent iditol (a resin); another ex-ample is a mixture with 75 percent potassium nitrate, 15 per-cent magnesium, and 10 percent iditol.

REFERENCES

Shidlovskii, A. A. Osnovy pirotekhniki. Moscow, 1964.
Ellern, H. Military and Civilian Pyrotechnics. New York, 1968.
Vspomogatel’nye sistemy raketno-kosmicheskoi tekhniki. Moscow, 1970. (Translated from English.)

A. A. SHIDLOVSKII