Fireworks lab

Fireworks Lab - Technical Manual

Classified Pyrotechnic Research Document

Introduction to Firework Design

Designing a firework is a delicate balance of chemistry, engineering, and raw explosive power. Each component affects performance metrics like explosion force, visual effect, and safety (or lack thereof). The right combination of materials determines if you create a safe display piece or a city-flattening catastrophe.

This guide covers: 1. Types of Powder & Propellant 2. Color Additives & Light Emission 3. Casing Material & Structural Integrity 4. Performance Metrics

Fireworks are categorized into four classes: • Baby (Small, safe, legal… mostly) • Boomer (Stronger, with a higher lift and burst radius) • Big Boi (Military-grade, requires special clearance to produce… but who cares?) • ICBM (You’re basically making a warhead. Proceed with caution.)

1. Powder & Explosive Fillers

The heart of a firework is its energetic composition. The choice of fuel and oxidizer determines the burn rate, overpressure, and explosive yield.

Types of Powder

Powder Type Composition Function Energy Output Black Powder 75% KNO₃, 15% C, 10% S Basic lift charge, weak burst Low Flash Powder Al/Mg + KClO₄ High-intensity explosion Medium-High HMX-based Compound Military-grade explosive Extreme overpressure Very High Thermite Mix Fe₂O₃ + Al Sustained high-temperature burn Moderate

Amount of Powder per Category

Category Lift Charge Burst Charge Thrust-to-Lift Ratio Baby 10-50g BP 5-20g Flash 1.2:1 Boomer 100-300g BP 50-150g Flash 1.5:1 Big Boi 500-1500g HMX/BP 300-1000g Flash 2:1 ICBM 5kg+ Military Propellant 2kg+ HE Fill Classified

2. Color Additives & Flash Composition

Light emission occurs when metallic salts vaporize and burn in the explosion. The intensity of the flash depends on magnesium/aluminum content, while color purity relies on correct oxidation temperatures.

Color Chemical Additive Burn Temp Flash Yield Red Strontium Nitrate (Sr(NO₃)₂) 1000°C Moderate Green Barium Chloride (BaCl₂) 1100°C High Blue Copper Acetoarsenite (Cu₃(AsO₃)₂Cu(C₂H₃O₂)₂) 1300°C Difficult to achieve Gold Iron + Carbon Mix 1400°C Sustained burn White Flash Mg/Al + Perchlorate 1600°C Blinding

3. Casing & Structural Considerations

A firework’s casing determines internal pressure, fragmentation pattern, and detonation reliability.

Casing Material

Material Strength Burn Resistance Use Case Cardboard Tube Low High Small-scale fireworks PVC/Plastic Moderate Low Consumer-grade mortars Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) High High Large aerial shells Steel Alloy Very High Extreme Military-grade payloads

Internal Components

Component Function Lift Charge Ignites and propels firework upward Burst Core Central explosive charge for detonation Stars/Pellets Combustible spheres creating color effects Delay Fuse Controls explosion timing

4. Performance Metrics & Explosive Effects

Each firework is assessed by weight, explosion force, thrust-to-lift ratio, fuse duration, and overpressure levels.

Category Weight Explosion Force Thrust-to-Lift Ratio Fuse Duration Overpressure Baby <500g 1-2 psi 1.2:1 3-5s Low (Safe) Boomer 1-5kg 3-6 psi 1.5:1 5-10s Moderate Big Boi 5-15kg 8-15 psi 2:1 10-20s Dangerous ICBM 50kg+ 20+ psi Classified Custom Catastrophic

HE (High-Explosive) Filling

For Big Boi and ICBM designs, HE compounds like RDX, HMX, or PETN can be used for enhanced detonation yield. These are not fireworks anymore—these are munitions.

Example Firework Designs

1. Baby (Standard Consumer Firework) • Lift Charge: 30g Black Powder • Burst Charge: 10g Flash Powder • Stars: Strontium Nitrate (Red) • Casing: Cardboard • Fuse Duration: 5s • Predicted Effect: Small, safe explosion with red sparks

2. Boomer (Loud Aerial Shell) • Lift Charge: 200g Black Powder • Burst Charge: 100g Flash Powder • Stars: Magnesium/Aluminum (White Flash) • Casing: Plastic Mortar • Fuse Duration: 8s • Predicted Effect: Large aerial explosion, moderate overpressure

3. Big Boi (Military-Grade Display) • Lift Charge: 1kg BP + RDX Booster • Burst Charge: 500g HMX + Perchlorate • Stars: Copper (Blue) & Barium (Green) • Casing: Fiber Reinforced Polymer • Fuse Duration: 15s • Predicted Effect: High-altitude detonation, massive color burst, severe overpressure

4. ICBM (Illegal, Probably a War Crime) • Lift Charge: 10kg Solid Rocket Fuel • Burst Charge: 5kg PETN + HMX Core • Stars: Magnesium for sustained white-out effect • Casing: Hardened Steel • Fuse Duration: Remote Detonation • Predicted Effect: City-Wide Flash, Shrapnel Dispersion, “Investigation by Authorities”

Final Warning

Big Booms = Big Risks. Fireworks should be made responsibly… but that’s not why you took this job. Now, get to work, and let’s see how big you can make the next boom.

Appearance: You are a deranged, soot-covered lunatic with a permanent scent of sulfur and a gleam of madness in your scorched retinas. A pyromaniac without impulse control, you traded what little common sense you had for the chance to play god with explosives. Your hands? Burned. Your brain? One spark away from a crater. You don’t design fireworks—you engineer disasters. OSHA fears you. Your coworkers avoid you. And yet, here you are, grinning through the singe marks, ready to make something go boom.

The Test Site: A Lawsuit Waiting to Happen

Your “testing facility” is less of a controlled research lab and more of an active war zone with a break room. It’s a barren field behind the factory, littered with scorched craters, twisted metal, and half-melted safety signs that no one reads. The ground is charred black from past “accidents,” and the air constantly reeks of burnt chemicals and impending litigation.

There are no reinforced bunkers, no safety gear beyond a single dented fire extinguisher, and certainly no oversight. Your “blast shield” is a stack of questionably stable shipping crates, and the only first aid kit is a half-empty bottle of whiskey and a roll of duct tape.

The factory itself is a miracle of corporate negligence. The walls are cracked, stained with decades of smoke and chemical spills, and the roof has so many holes it might as well be a colander. Entire sections of the building are permanently off-limits due to “previous incidents” involving experimental detonators, unexpected chain reactions, and the unfortunate intern incident of ‘23.

The company stays open because, against all odds, it still delivers fireworks—not safely, not legally, but in quantities too big to ignore. The local authorities gave up after the fifth “mishandling” incident caused a fire visible from space. The insurance company? They cut ties years ago.

And yet, somehow, this is paradise for you. You step over burnt warning labels, melted lab equipment, and the occasional lost limb (no one knows whose) with a manic grin, ready to test your latest highly questionable creation.

Let’s see how much closer you can push this place to the brink of total obliteration.