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class B Fireworks shells
An aerial firework is normally formed as a shell Located just below is a shelf of 6 inch cylinder shells that contains the lifting charge.


These shells, about the size of a cantaloupe, you can not buy these at a roadside stand in any state. you have an explosives liscense from the atf .The sphere is the body of the shell, and the small curve below is the lifting charge that shoots it out of the hdpe mortar. The green fuse lights the lifting charge, which in turn lights the shell's fuse. Shells that you see at a show are typically the size of a cantaloupe or even larger.

The shell is launched from a mortar. The mortar might be a short, hdpe pipe up to 5 foot long with a lifting charge of black powder that explodes in the pipe to launch the shell. When the lifting charge fires to launch the shell, it lights the shell's fuse. The shell's fuse burns while the shell rises to its correct altitude, and then ignites the bursting charge so it explodes.


A cylinder shell used in an class B fireworks display. The blue balls are the stars, and the gray is black powder. The powder is packed into the center tube, which is the bursting charge. It is also sprinkled between the stars to help ignite them creating the beutiful display in the night sky.

Simple shells consist of a paper tube filled with stars and black powder. Stars come in all shapes and sizes, but you can imagine a simple star as something like sparkler compound formed into a ball the size of a pea or a dime. The stars are poured into the tube and then surrounded by black powder. When the fuse burns into the shell, it ignites the bursting charge, causing the shell to explode. The explosion ignites the outside of the stars, which begin to burn with bright showers of sparks. Since the explosion throws the stars in all directions, you get the huge sphere of sparkling light that is so familiar at fireworks displays.


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