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Blast pressures and waveforms of consumer firecrackers

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Abstract

Current methods for testing blast pressures produced by fireworks are ad hoc and differ substantially from established methods for assessing injury risks from explosives. In this experimental study, pressure-versus-time waveforms were measured as a function of distance from the source for four consumer firecrackers and one consumer bottle rocket. Pressure-versus-time data were collected at 10 MHz using a piezoelectric blast pressure sensor at distances 75 mm, 150 mm, 225 mm, and 300 mm from the source. While large variations in peak pressure were observed, in some trials, peak blast pressures over 100 kPa were observed, which suggests a risk of primary blast injury. The results support analysis of pressure waves produced by consumer firecrackers using established methods to quantify blast waves and to evaluate the risk of primary blast injury by comparing peak pressure and positive pulse duration to injury thresholds for specific body systems. Similar methods can be applied to result in comparable measurements for other firework devices.

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Notes

  1. There are several products that use the name “Silver Salute”; for example, it is a nickname for an M-100 explosive device, which exceeds the explosive mixture limit for consumer fireworks and is not a 1.4 G class product (https://www.atf.gov/resource-center/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-illegal-explosive-devices, accessed September 1, 2020). The small consumer firework brand tested here appears to have used the name for marketing purposes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exponent Inc., 23445 N 19th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, 85027, USA

    J. Kirschman, A. Pokutta-Paskaleva & A. Courtney

  2. BTG Research, 9574 Simon Lebleu Road, Lake Charles, LA, 70607, USA

    M. Courtney

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  1. J. Kirschman
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  2. A. Pokutta-Paskaleva
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  3. A. Courtney
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  4. M. Courtney
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Correspondence to A. Courtney.

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Communicated by C. Needham.

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Kirschman, J., Pokutta-Paskaleva, A., Courtney, A. et al. Blast pressures and waveforms of consumer firecrackers. Shock Waves 31, 301–306 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-021-01013-x

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