New pyrotechnic smoke
compositions, containing only environmentally
benign materials, have been demonstrated to produce thick white smoke
clouds upon combustion. These compositions use powdered boron carbide
(B4C) as a pyrotechnic fuel, KNO3 as a pyrotechnic
oxidizer, and KCl as a combustion temperature moderator. Small amounts
of calcium stearate and polymeric binders may be added to moderate
burning rate and for composition granulation. Prototype tests involving
three preferred compositions were conducted in end- and core-burning
grenade and canister configurations. Smoke release times ranged from
3.5 to 70 s for the grenades and from 8 to 100 s for the canisters.
Notably, any desired smoke release time within these ranges may be
obtained by fine adjustment to the calcium stearate content of the
compositions and/or small changes to the device containers. Aerosolization
efficiency and quantitative performance, as determined by smoke chamber
measurements, remain consistent regardless of smoke release time.
Impact, friction, and electrostatic discharge tests show that the
compositions are insensitive to accidental ignition and are safe to
handle.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.