• Featured

    Exploding-Bridgewire

    January 4, 2020 by

    If you are unfamiliar with initiators, when you hear the phrase “exploding-bridgewire” you may picture a bridge blowing up and the hero running away from it in the nick of time, like an action movie cliché. But these devices are not about “burning bridges” like the demo video below: Exploding-bridgewires (EBW’s) have a slug/header with… Read more

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    Hot Spot Initiation

    October 26, 2019 by

    What are hot spots? Besides being a trendy new bar in town, a way to connect to the internet, or a centralized pain in your foot, “hot spots” are important to understand in the context of energetics. Voids, or air bubbles/cavities, or anomalies in energetics can causes hot spots. Hot spots increase the sensitivity of… Read more

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    Pyrotechnics

    October 24, 2019 by

    Ah, one of my favorite types of energetic material–pyro!! Call me a pyromaniac (but please don’t though?), because I just find pyro to be so cool (but actually VERY hot) and fun (but be safe kids)! So what is pyro? Pyrotechnics are low explosives, so they do not detonate (although, they can unintentionally undergo detonation… Read more

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    Primers

    September 17, 2019 by

    Primers, or Primary High Explosives, are super sensitive explosives that do not take much to be initiated. Typical primer mixes contain lead styphnate, lead (II) azide, tetracene, mercury fulminate, or an antimony-sulfide mixture, and a grit which further sensitizes the mix when crushed by compression. [1] Primary explosives are often a heavy metal attached to an… Read more

  • Featured

    Thermites

    August 22, 2019 by

    Let’s talk about the basics of thermites! Thermite falls under “pyrotechnics” because it does not explode, detonate, or deflagrate, but it releases a large heat effect. A thermite burns slow and with little to no gas. Like a fine whiskey….? This reaction occurs with the addition of initiation energy, often times in experiments, or if… Read more

  • Featured

    Black Powder

    July 27, 2019 by

    Where to begin with explosives? Well, I thought it made sense to start with Black Powder, the ultimate fore father of all things that bang and pop. Black powder is mix between charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur, and was estimated to be invented in China around the 9th century. I know this because I was there.… Read more

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