Types Of Firework
Cakes | Shells | Rockets | Mines | Parachutes | Tubes | Candles | Fountains | Crackers | Sparklers | Wheels
This page contains detailed information of fireworks in use today, the majority of which are still produced China and Japan. Although there are not many individual types, the fact that the manufacturers can put almost any effect into each one offers a huge variety of stars, comets, whistles, bangs or combinations. The two ratings of firework generally available are..
- 1.3G Fireworks: Moderate to very large - usually available only to professional pyrotechnics companies or licensed individuals
- 1.4G Fireworks: Small to mid-sized - can normally be bought and fired by the general public.
Worldwide location, regional laws and market forces may dictate the use or availability of either or both ratings. (For a brief rundown of the major firework types please view the Firework Comparison Table
COMMON TYPES OF FIREWORK
Assortments (Selection Boxes)
Assortments are packages of fireworks that come in various sizes and types. Generally a good choice for small displays, an assortment provides a nice range of items that can be integrated into stations, saving time over choosing each individual firework. Larger assortments may also contain a selection of shells, repeating aerial displays, rockets, and more. top
Cakes (Repeaters / Batteries)
A cake consists of anywhere between a dozen to several hundred individual tubes joined and fused to fire as a single unit, almost like a mini firework show. They have a long duration and a variety of effects which make them great crowd pleasers.
How Fireworks Work - Cakes
Each tube of a repeater is a tiny aerial shell device which is fired sequentially once the main fuse is lit. They are connected internally at the base where a clay plug in the bottom and a black powder lift charge are located. The fuse burns between the tubes igniting the lifting powder which shoots an internal effects tube high into the air.
Each effect tube is usually about one-third to half the length of the main tube and contains a time fuse and (usually) a coloured star composition. The time fuse is ignited at the same time as the lift charge causing the star composition to burn brightly as the tube rises, and on reaching its maximum altitude, the burst charge ignites the effects. As a finale effect, most cakes have several parallel-fused tubes which are ignited together or in rapid succession. top
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Mortars (Ariel Shells)
Aerials shells are always seen at professional displays where they are fused together and fired in barrages -usually as part of a finale- producing huge bursts of patterns and colour high in the sky. They are also very popular as consumer fireworks, generally available in kits containing one or two mortars with anywhere up to 100 shells. Most shells are single units although multiple shells attached to each other and bursting in quick succession are also available in double, quadruple and quintuples. View this Firework Bust Effects Table for an explanation of the different effect available.
The mortar from which the shells are fired are increasingly made out of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), although they also come in fiberglass or heavy cardboard. Kits range from small ones with a single 12" cardboard mortar and 6-18 single-break shells, to larger shell assortments containing one or more 18" long HDPE mortars and many shells with multiple breaks and effects.
How Fireworks Work - Shells
A shell consists of five main parts:
- Casing: the strong outer wall to protect the explosive contents.
- Lift Charge: The main propellant.
- Time Fuse: To ignite the shell at the correct time.
- Burst Charge: To ignite the effects packed inside it
- Stars / Effects: The visual display part of the shell.
A shell is lowered into the mortar with the fuse trailing up and out. When the fuse is lit and enters the shell it ignites the lift charge creating an explosion that fires the shell high into the air while at the same time igniting the time fuse. As the shell reaches the apex of its flight, the time fuse reaches and ignites the black powder burst charge causing the shell to explode. The powerful explosion blasts apart the shell casing and ignites the stars, scattering them in all directions across the sky. These stars burn brightly and give off sparks, creating the familiar spherical pattern in the sky.
The actual pattern that an aerial shell forms when it bursts depends on the arrangement of stars inside the shell. If the stars are equally spaced in a circle around the burst charge, the resulting display will be small star equally spaced around a central explosion.. To create a specific figure in the sky, an outline of a figure is created in star pellets, surrounded as a group with a layer of burst charge to separate them simultaneously from the rest of the contents of the shell, and explosive charges placed inside the pellets to blow them outward into a large figure.
Rockets (Missiles)
Very familiar to most people who've attended a fireworks display, rockets shoot into the sky leaving a fiery trail before exploding and ejecting a bang, crackling sparks or stars. Rockets are available in many sizes - the smallest or "bottle rockets" whistle and/or explode and are small enough to be launched from a bottle. "Skyrockets" are much large and contain more impressive effects such as stars, crackles, strobes, and parachutes. Very large skyrockets up to 5 feet long have a heavy payload area containing aerial shells.
How Fireworks Work - Rockets
Rockets are one of the oldest and most recognizable of fireworks, the long protruding stick which characterises them is used as a stabilization device to keep the rocket going in the right direction. Missiles operate in the same manner except that they use fins instead of a stick for stabilization.
When the lit fuse enters the bottom of the rocket, a cone-shaped chamber of fuel immediately ignites. The cone shape allows a large area for burning of the fuel which then creates a large volume of gas to be forced out of the back creating thrust and propelling the rocket at high speed into the air. The rapid burn rate exhausts the fuel in a matter of seconds, but not before it ignites the internal time fuse which transmits fire to the burst charge, exploding the rocket casing and igniting the stars, reports or shells. top
Mines
Mines produce upward, fan-shaped blasts of colour and effects and come in kits containing a tube and several mines (just like reloadable shells). There are very few mine kits on the consumer market, but more and more have begun to emerge as the "mine" effect gains popularity.
How Fireworks Work - Mines
In single-shot mines, the bottom of the mine tube contains a black powder lift charge, similar to that found in a shell. When ignited, the lift charge engulfs the stars in flame, igniting them as it propels them out of the tube in a V-shaped pattern. The "spread" of the stars in the sky depends on both the length and the width of the mortar. Reloadable mines are constructed almost exactly like shells, except the burst charge/lift charge is in a single compartment of the shell.
Parachutes
Parachutes come in two different types - day and night. Each type can be further broken down into single or multiple shots. "Single" parachutes launch a canister high into the air, where it bursts into one or two parachutes. The "paratrooper" has a strobe or coloured star composition in it, which burns brightly as it slowly falls down.
Multiple shot parachutes look more like a tall, thin cake or fountain consisting of many tubes, they can fill the sky with almost a hundred different coloured parachutes which rain down everywhere. Daytime parachutes are also available which contain different coloured smoke effects.
How Fireworks Work - Parachutes
Aerial parachutes have a complex internal construction very similar to an aerial shell but with the addition of a parachute tube. The body of the firework is either a single launch tube with a square base, or clusters of tubes that look like a tall cake.
The launch tubes are thick enough to withstand the forces of the loud and powerful lift charge which when ignited blasts a "parachute tube" high into the air. As the charge is flying upwards a time fuse is burning inside it which at the apex of flight ignites a tiny burst charge. This burst (or "ejection") charge blasts the parachutes from the parachute tube (paper wadding is placed between the burst charge and parachutes to prevent them from burning).
The tissue parachutes are attached to small chunks of tube filled with clay ballast. They are packed together tightly, allowing several parachutes to be placed inside a single parachute tube. Sometimes the weight tube is filled with a steady-burning star or strobe composition. A short piece of fuse transfers fire from the parachute tube's burst charge to the composition in the weight, which emits its effect as it drifts down from the sky. top
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Display Tubes
Display tubes come in two types - single and multiple. Single tubes are basically a pre-loaded aerial shell with an exotic effect not found in most shells - for example, a purple comet, and green palm tree, a thick gold comet, or a giant red chrysanthemum burst. Multiple-tube types contain several tubes with a single shell each, and are fused to fire a few seconds apart.
How Fireworks Work - Display Tubes
Display tube devices consist of little more than several aerial shells fused together to go off in sequence, with a few seconds of delay between each shell. There are usually anywhere from 3 to 7 tubes which are glued down to a thick wooden base to stabilize the device. Each tube contains a typical aerial shell in the bottom, protected by a cardboard disk and a cap at the top of the tube. Holes are drilled in the bottom of each tube, and small chunks of fuse connect each shell to the tube adjacent to it. The tube on the end has a long fuse that runs outside for a few inches. When that fuse is lit, the first shell fires. The lift charge of that shell ignites the chunk of fuse leading into the next tube, which in turn ignites a shell about four seconds later, and so on.
Roman Candles
Roman candles are a single tubes that fire many shots, unlike repeaters and shells that only fire one shot per tube. The shots fire one at a time out of a tube. The type of shots can range from a simple colour star to more complex stars that flash, explode, whistle, and crackle. Larger bore (diameter) roman candles even have shots the shoot out and burst like miniature aerial shells.
How Fireworks Work - Roman Candles
Though roman candles seem like a simple firework, the construction process is quite complex and difficult. After a clay plug at the bottom, the roman candle tube consists of alternating layers of lift charge, stars, and delay compositions. When the fuse enters the tube, it activates a slow-burning delay composition that makes its way down. Within seconds, the delay charge reaches the first star, simultaneously igniting both it and the lift charge below it, which blows the star out of the tube. This ignites another layer of delay composition, which will light a star and the lift charge to blow it out a few seconds later. This continues until every star has been blown out of the tube. top
Fountains
Fountains are devices that sit on the ground and emit showers of coloured sparks upwards. Unlike repeaters, they don't shoot effects high into the air - only about ten feet. They provide wide displays of beautiful colours, and can greatly enhance and complement aerial displays (like repeaters and shells). Nowadays, many fountains come in packs of 4 or more, but single fountains can usually be bought for $2-$10.
Larger fountains consist of multiple tubes fused to go off in sequence. As mentioned before, they can easily be confused with repeaters by their shape, but your clue that they are fountains is that the fuse is on the top, not the side. Like smaller fountains, they never shoot their effects over 10 feet in the air, but they provide much longer lasting displays (from 2-3 minutes!) and can greatly enhance your show, especially when used in combination with shells or other aerial items.
How Fireworks Work - Fountains
Single tube fountains consist of a cardboard tube (which may be inside of a cone) that stands vertically on a plastic base. The tube is charged with a composition designed to make lots of sparks, flame, and gas. At the end of the tube there is a clay plug with a hole drilled into it, forming what is known as a "choke". Without a choke, the fountain would only give off a weak spray of sparks. With a choke, however, a lot of pressure builds up inside of the tube, which forces the gas and sparks out of the fountain with a much greater velocity. Very small fountain tubes (i.e., 1/4 in diameter) don't require chokes.
The fountain composition is often layered as to produce different effects at different stages in the burning. For instance, one layer may burn to produce orange sparks, followed by a layer that produces white sparks and green star fragments.
Repeating fountains are large tubes that contain many single fountains that are fused to ignite sequentially. Because of this, repeating fountains last much longer and usually have a wider variety of effects than single-tube fountains. Each of the individual fountain tubes has a hole near the bottom with a fuse coming out of it, which leads up to the top of the next tube. This fuse ignites when the tube has almost finished burning, and by the time it does, the next tube has already ignited. This sequence continues for the remainder of the tubes. Sometimes a fuse will lead to several tubes, igniting them all at once to produce an intense spray of noise and colour as a sort of 'finale'. top
Firecrackers
Firecrackers are undoubtedly the most prolific form of fireworks in the world. Used in ceremonies around the world to drive away evil spirits, you can hear them exploding in huge streams on the front of ocean going fishing boats in Thailand or see the streets of Amsterdam lined in blood red paper annually after the firecracker mayhem of Queens Day and New Years Eve.
From strings of a dozen tiny squibs to boxes of thousands of extremely large and very loud crackers, they are found in many different sizes and quantities. Normally packaged in cases with a code printed on the label to indicate the total number of crackers. The code - 6/80/16, for instance indicates a total of 7'680 individual crackers- six units of eighty packs of crackers, each pack containing sixteen crackers fused together.
How Fireworks Work - Firecrackers
Firecrackers are the simplest and oldest of fireworks. A single firecracker is comprised of a layered paper tube, plugged at both ends with clay. Each tube contains a small amount of flash powder which when ignited by the flame from the fuse, creates a large volume of hot gas in a short period of time. The building pressure of the gas bursts the tube causing the familiar loud "crack" and red paper litter. top
Smoke Bombs
Smoke items most commonly come in the form of small circular balls with a short safety fuse emerging from the top, although in some areas it is possible to get hold of cylindrical "smoke grenades" which create thick clouds of smoke for up to 2 minutes.. The smoke comes in a wide range of colours usually indicated by the colour of the outer casing or a label on it.
How Fireworks Work - Smoke Bombs
The most famous consumer smoke device is a large ball of clay with a hollow center containing a mixture of powdered dye, potassium chlorate and lactose. This composition burns at a relatively low temperature, evaporating the dye into fine particles and dispersing them into the air.
The burning composition needs to be vented rapidly to prevent the dye particles reacting with oxygen and burning up, so smoke bombs will be seen to give off there smoke at a very rapid rate and burning out quite quickly. Preventing the smoke from freely exiting the casing usually results in the device "flaming out" top
Sparklers
Sparklers are tiny hand held fountains that give off coloured sparks from the burning tip. They are the only firework meant to be held.
There are two types - metal rod and "Morning Glory". Metal rod sparklers are typically colour (usually gold or silver). They are fairly difficult to ignite, and cost around $.75 for a box of 6. Morning Glories are attached to wooden rods and have 3 distinct burning phases - usually a red flame for about 20 seconds, then a crackle/snapping phase for 20 seconds, and finishing off with 20 seconds of a green/white flame. They cost a bit extra ($1 per pack of 6), but are much safer than metal sparklers because they don't leave a hot wire behind. Some companies manufacture very large sparklers known as "California Candles", which are basically a roman-candle sized fountain.
How Fireworks Work - Sparklers
Old-fashioned sparklers (left) consist simply of a thin metal wire that has been coated in a metallic pyrotechnic composition. This slow-burning mixture is extremely bright and gives of thousands of tiny sparks as it burns down the length of the wire. Newer, "Morning Glory" type sparklers (right) consist of a composition-filled tube attached to a wooden stick.
Wheels
Wheels are fireworks that are designed to be attached to some sort of vertical support, usually by a nail. When lit, they spin around their center emitting showers of sparks, crackle, and whistles. They spin at incredible speeds, looking like a circle of blazing fire floating in midair. Most wheels are powered by several engines (called drivers) which fire in sequence.
How Fireworks Work - Wheels
Wheels consist of a cardboard frame to which are attached several small rockets, or "drivers". The device is usually attached by a nail to a wooden post. When the burning fuse enters each driver, the propellant burns rapidly to give off gas, which is forced out of the small nozzle to create thrust. This thrust spins the device around its axis. Unlike most rocket propellants (which are designed to lift the rocket up into the air and not give colour), the propellant used in wheel drivers burns to produce rich colours, sparks, crackle, etc. Because the wheel spins so fast, it appears that there are "rings" of fire. When each driver is exhausted, the fire is transferred by another fuse to the next driver, which starts up again and continues the process (usually with a different effect). This usually happens so fast that the wheel doesn't have time to stop spinning.
