Premium
Smoke Generators. III. The ignition of pyrotechnic white smoke compositions containing hexachloroethane, silumin and metal oxides using a heated metal surface
Author(s) -
Hartley F. R.,
Murray S. G.,
Williams M. R.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.19840090207
Subject(s) - magnesium , oxide , smoke , ignition system , inorganic chemistry , metal , aluminium , chemistry , materials science , zinc , metallurgy , nuclear chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , thermodynamics
The addition of metal oxides to silumin‐hexachloroethane pyrotechnic smoke mixtures makes ignition on a hot plate more difficult in the order aluminium oxide < zinc oxide < magnesium oxide. Evidence is presented that suggests that aluminium oxide inhibits ignition by acting as an inert diluent separating the active reactants whereas the effect of magnesium oxide is believed to be chemical in nature. The addition of small amounts of ferric oxide or potassium iodide has little effect on the onset of smoke formation in a silumin‐hexachloroethane‐zinc oxide composition but promotes the transition from smoke to flame reaction. In contrast small amounts of either iodine or trityl chloride inhibit the onset of the smoke reaction. A mechanism is proposed for the ignition of silumin‐hexachloroethane compositions that accounts for these observations.