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A detonator is a device used to trigger
Detonation

Detonation is a process of combustion in which a supersonic shock wave is propagated through a fluid due to an energy release in a reaction zone....
 an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common.

The commercial use of explosives uses electrical detonators or the capped fuse which is a length of safety fuse
Fuse (explosives)

In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately....
 to which an ordinary detonator has been crimp
Crimp (joining)

Crimping is joining two pieces of metal or other malleable material by deforming one or both of them to hold the other. The bend or deformity is called the crimp....
ed.






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Detonator
Eod2
A detonator is a device used to trigger
Detonation

Detonation is a process of combustion in which a supersonic shock wave is propagated through a fluid due to an energy release in a reaction zone....
 an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common.

The commercial use of explosives uses electrical detonators or the capped fuse which is a length of safety fuse
Fuse (explosives)

In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately....
 to which an ordinary detonator has been crimp
Crimp (joining)

Crimping is joining two pieces of metal or other malleable material by deforming one or both of them to hold the other. The bend or deformity is called the crimp....
ed. Many detonators' primary explosive is a material called ASA compound. This compound is formed from lead azide, lead styphnate
Lead styphnate

Lead styphnate , whose name is derived from styphnic acid, is a toxic explosive used as a component in percussion cap and detonator mixtures for less sensitive secondary explosives....
 and aluminium
Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13....
 and is pressed into place above the base charge, usually TNT
Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H23CH3....
 or tetryl
Tetryl

Tetryl is a sensitive explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Its IUPAC nomenclature name is 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine and some commonly used synonyms are nitramine, tetralite, and tetril....
 in military detonators and PETN
PETN

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate is one of the most powerful explosive material known, with a relative effectiveness factor of 1.66....
 in commercial detonators.

Other materials such as DDNP (diazo dinitro phenol
Diazo dinitro phenol

Diazodinitrophenol is a yellowish brown Powder . It is soluble in acetic acid, acetone, strong hydrochloric acid, and most non-polar solvents but is insoluble in water....
) are also used as the primary charge to reduce the amount of lead emitted into the atmosphere by mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
 and quarry
Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mining from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone....
ing operations. Old detonators used mercury fulminate as the primary, and it was often mixed with potassium chlorate
Potassium chlorate

Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, with the chemical formula KClO3. In pure form, it is a white crystalline substance....
 to yield better performance.

Electrical detonators


There are three categories of electrical detonators: instantaneous electrical detonators (IED), short period delay detonators (SPD) and long period delay detonators (LPD). SPDs are measured in milliseconds and LPDs are measured in seconds.

In situations where nanosecond accuracy is required, specifically in the implosion charges in nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s, exploding-bridgewire detonator
Exploding-bridgewire detonator

The exploding-bridgewire detonator is a type of detonator used to initiate the detonation reaction in explosives, similar to a blasting cap in that it is fired using an electric current....
s are employed. The initial shock wave is created by vaporizing a length of a thin wire by an electric discharge.

A new development is a slapper detonator
Slapper detonator

A slapper detonator is a relatively recent kind of a detonator developed in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It is an improvement of the earlier exploding-bridgewire detonator; instead of directly coupling the shock wave from the exploding wire, the expanding plasma from an explosion of a metal foil drives another thin plastic or meta...
, which uses thin plates accelerated by an electrically exploded wire or foil to deliver the initial shock. It is in use in some modern weapon systems. A variant of this concept is used in mining operations, when the foil is exploded by a laser
Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
 pulse delivered to the foil by optical fiber
Optical fiber

An optical fiber is a glass or plastic fiber that carries light along its length. Fiber optics is the overlap of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of optical fibers....
.

Non-electric detonators


Non-electric detonators usually take the form of an ignition-based explosive. Whilst they are mainly used in commercial operations, non-electric detonators are still used in military operations. This form of detonator is most commonly initiated using safety fuse
Fuse (explosives)

In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately....
, and used in non time-critical detonations i.e. Conventional Munitions Disposal
Bomb disposal

Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. "Bomb disposal" is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:...


See also

  • Pencil detonator
    Pencil detonator

    Introduced during World War II, a pencil detonator or time pencil is a chemically activated time Fuse #Fuze designed to be connected to a detonator or short length of fuse ....
  • Explosive material
    Explosive material

    File:M112 Demolition Charge.jpgAn explosive material is a material that either is chemistry or otherwise energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied by the production of heat and large changes in pressure upon initiation; this is called the explosion....
  • Fuse (explosives)
    Fuse (explosives)

    In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately....
  • Blasting cap
    Blasting cap

    A blasting cap is a small explosive device generally used to detonator a larger, more powerful explosive such as dynamite.Blasting caps come in a variety of types, some of which are: non-electric caps, electric caps and fuse caps....
  • Nuclear weapon design
    Nuclear weapon design

    Nuclear weapon designs are physical, chemical, and engineering arrangements that cause the physics package of a Nuclear weapons to detonate. There are three basic design types....
  • Exploding-bridgewire detonator
    Exploding-bridgewire detonator

    The exploding-bridgewire detonator is a type of detonator used to initiate the detonation reaction in explosives, similar to a blasting cap in that it is fired using an electric current....
  • Slapper detonator
    Slapper detonator

    A slapper detonator is a relatively recent kind of a detonator developed in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It is an improvement of the earlier exploding-bridgewire detonator; instead of directly coupling the shock wave from the exploding wire, the expanding plasma from an explosion of a metal foil drives another thin plastic or meta...
  • Detonating cord
    Detonating cord

    Detonating cord is a thin, flexible tube with an explosive core. It is a high-speed fuse which explodes, rather than burns, and is suitable for detonating Explosive material#High Explosivess, usually pentaerythritol tetranitrate ....
  • Triggering sequence
    Triggering sequence

    A triggering sequence, also called an explosive train, is a sequence of events that culminates in the detonator of explosives. For safety reasons, most widely used high explosives are difficult to detonate....
  • Firing pin
    Firing pin

    A firing pin or striker is part of the firing mechanism used in a firearm or explosive device e.g. an M14_mine landmine or bomb fuze. Firing pins may take many forms, though the types used in landmines, bombs, grenade fuzes or other single-use devices generally have a sharpened point....
  • Detonator (railway)
    Detonator (railway)

    A railway detonator is a device used to make a loud sound as a warning signal to Railroad engineer. The detonator is the size of a large coin with two lead straps, one on each side....