Common+Consumer+Fireworks

This part will be about the types of consumer fireworks commonly found. I will also include some cutaway diagrams I found at [|PyroUniverse] (the best kid friendly site I found) on a separate page. //**Warning **: ** The cutaway diagrams shown below are for educational purposes only. They should not be used as a guide for constructing your own fireworks. Never attempt to take apart fireworks. ** // Also commonly known as cakes, these are some of the most popular fireworks. They have a long duration and a variety of effects which basically make them a little firework show all by themselves, it also makes them great crowd pleasers. Repeaters are usually just tubes stuck together. The number of tubes is normally 6 to 200. Inside of each tube is an aerial shell (or effect tube), a lift charge and fuses connecting the tubes together. When the external fuse in the lower part of the cake is lit, it will light the lift charge from one of the tubes, launch the aerial shell, light the connecting fuse and then repeat until all the shells are launched. Aerial shells are shells that are put into a mortar and launched into the sky to burst into a gorgeous pattern, which are quite colorful. They are much like the professional fireworks at professional pyrotechnic displays. The mortars are made of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene), fiberglass, or heavy cardboard. The HDPE mortars are safer, stronger, and can launch more shells before breaking. Most of the smaller kits contain a 12 inches mortar and 6-18 standard shells. Almost all of the common consumer shells are 1.75 inches in diameter. Display Tubes are basically one-use mortars with a special aerial shell that is pre-loaded. THe reason that the aerial shell is special is because it has some effect that is not common among aerial shells. There are also multi-shot display tubes. These types are just single display tubes put together with a fuse that lasts a few seconds between each of the tubes. My personal favorite, firecrackers, the oldest type of fireworks, where invented by the ancient Chinese. They are believed to drive away evil spirits. There are even some celebration rolls of them that have 20,000 individual firecrackers! All that they are is a cylindrical container filled with a small amount of explosives and a small fuse connected to a main, center fuse. Ground spinners do exactly what their name implies, they spin around at ground level, all the while shooting out colored sparks and flames. Helicopters are basically ground spinners with wings that are slanted so that it shoots up in the air when it spins. They will release a burst charge and and launch different effects into the air, explode, etc., at the end of its flight. Firework mines, not military mines, are basically aerial shells that aren't launched in the air. They explode in an upward cone-shaped, multi-colored and multi-effect charge. Toys are small firework devices that are shaped like real things. Common ones are often tanks, ships, race cars, animals, etc. Mostly all that they do is slowly shot themselves along the ground and shoot off sparks, firecrackers, etc. Parachutes are mainly come in two different styles, day or night time parachutes. They will generally come in single or multi-shot packages. "Single" daytime parachutes will launch a canister into the air, where it will break up into either one or to parachutes. The "paratroopers" are either cheap weights or a capsule that will give of smoke on its way down. The only difference with night parachutes is the fact that the "paratroopers" have a strobe light or a bright, long lasting composition in it. Although these aren't considered fireworks by most states, they still operate using explosives so I thought that I might as well add them. Since most states don't classify them as fireworks, they can be sold all year round in toy stores. Snaps go by many names (thousands actually). They do what their name implies, they snap when pressure or force is applied to them. Confetti cannons also do what they name implies, they shoot confetti, normally out of the bottom of a bottle shaped container. To use them you pull a string that comes out of the neck of the "bottle". These devices were first made by the Chinese when they discovered that if the back is removed from a firecracker, it propels forward. Now the rockets
 * **Aerial Repeaters:**
 * **Aerial Shells:**
 * **Display Tubes**
 * **Firecrackers**
 * **Helicopters and ground spinners:**
 * **Mines:**
 * **Toys:**
 * **Parachutes:**
 * **Confetti Cannons and Snaps:**
 * **Missiles, Skyrockets, and Bottle Rockets:**

Common Consumer Firework Diagrams Home