pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

a salute is a device primarily designed to make a loud report (bang), rather than have a visual effect, although most salutes will also have a very bright flash. They most commonly consist of a 70:30 mixture of potassium perchlorate and dark

aluminium powder Aluminium powder is powdered aluminium. This was originally produced by mechanical means using a stamp mill to create flakes. Subsequently, a process of spraying molten aluminium to create a powder of droplets was developed by E. J. Hall in the ...

and may have titanium added for a cloud of sparks (titanium salute). The salute may be fired on the ground (ground salute) or launched from a mortar as a shell (aerial salute). Due to the nature of the effect, large salutes are some of the more hazardous

firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

s. Most of the "salutes" are made with

flash powder Flash powder is a pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of oxidizer and metallic fuel, which burns quickly and produces a loud noise regardless of confinement. It is widely used in theatrical pyrotechnics and fireworks (namely salutes, e.g., cherry ...

. Flash powder has a very fast burn rate, unlike black powder. All ground salutes over 50mg and air salutes over 130mg are restricted by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Child Protection Act of 1966.T. Davis, The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives, Angriff Press, 1972.

Examples of salutes

^† O.D. = Outer diameter
^‡ I.D. = Inner diameter

References

{{Pyrotechnics-stub Fireworks