Sparklers are popular fireworks for children.
A sparkler is a type of hand-held firework that burns slowly while emitting coloured flames, sparks, and many effects.
In the United Kingdom, a sparkler is often used by children at bonfire and fireworks displays on Guy Fawkes Night, the fifth of November each year.
Design
A group of people using sparklers.
The "classic" type of sparkler consists of a thin metal rod approximately 20 cm (8 inches) long that has been dipped in a thick batter of pyrotechnic composition and allowed to dry. This composition is rich in a metallic fuel such as aluminium or iron, which when burned creates silver or gold coloured sparks, respectively. The fuel typically contains potassium nitrate, as an oxidizer. Coloured flame can be achieved by addition of nitrates or chlorides of such as copper or barium.
A "Morning Glory" type sparker, emitting small pyrotechnic stars during this phase of the burn
A more modern type of sparkler, known as the "Morning Glory", consists of a long, thin paper tube filled with composition and attached to a wooden rod using brightly-coloured tissue paper and ribbon. Several different compositions can be packed into a single tube, resulting in a sparkler that changes colour.
Safety issues
Moving sparklers quickly can create attractive patterns
Sparklers are responsible for the vast majority of legal firework-related injuries, but mainly as a result of parents giving sparklers to young children. The devices burn at a high temperature (as hot as 1800 to 3000° F, or 1000 to 1600° C), depending on the fuel and oxidizer used. This can cause devastating burns to hands and faces or ignite clothing. The government recommends adults to ensure children are wearing non-flammable clothing or materials which cannot catch fire easily. Sparklers, as with all fireworks, present a fire hazard. This is especially true in drier areas; in Australia, for instance, sparkler-related bushfire accidents have led to their banning at public outdoor events during summer like Australia Day celebrations. It is always wise to wear gloves while handling lit sparklers.
Sparklers in art and pop culture
Sparklers can burn up to 2000° F (1100° C)
Art group monochrom ignited 10,000 bound sparklers as a "symbolic liberation", because "sparklers are bound to various monotheistic rituals" and stand as representatives "of all symbols that have been enslaved and abused by the monotheistic world religions."[1]
Some unlit sparklers. The colored spot on the top of each rod indicates the color of the sparkles emitted when ignited
References
|
