A
smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce
smokeThis article is about the substance. For other uses, see Smoke .Smoke is the collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass...
upon ignition. Smoke bombs are useful to military units,
airsoftAirsoft is a sport, in which participants organize meetings at dedicated airsoft battlefields often adapted to provide walls, bunkers, trenches, buildings, towers, and other similar man-made field enhancements to simulate real combat environments....
games,
paintballPaintball is a sport, in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint from a special gun called a paintball marker. Depending on the venue, games are played on either indoor or outdoor fields of varying size...
games, and self defense. While there are smoke-generating devices that are dropped from airplanes, the term "smoke bomb" is used to describe the three types of devices:
-
A smoke ball is a hollow, cherry-sized sphere of brightly colored clay or cardboard filled with a smoke-generating composition that produces a forceful jet of colored smoke for 10 to 15 seconds.
The usual chemical equationA chemical equation may be described as a chemical reaction or a means of writing out and describing such a phenomenon. The coefficients next to the symbols and formulae of entities are the absolute values of the stoichiometric numbers...
is 9.6KNO3 + C12H22O11 → 4.8K2CO3 + 7.2CO2 + 11H2O + 4.8N2.
- A smoke candle (also called a smoke generator or smoke canister) is a cylindrical cardboard tube with a fuse, usually 1½ inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
es (37 mmThe millimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousandth of a metre, which is the current SI base unit of length.Equal to 1000 micrometres.Equal to 1000000 nanometres....
) in diameter and several inches long and resembling a giant firecrackerA firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing, to contain the explosive compound...
.
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A
smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce
smokeThis article is about the substance. For other uses, see Smoke .Smoke is the collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass...
upon ignition. Smoke bombs are useful to military units,
airsoftAirsoft is a sport, in which participants organize meetings at dedicated airsoft battlefields often adapted to provide walls, bunkers, trenches, buildings, towers, and other similar man-made field enhancements to simulate real combat environments....
games,
paintballPaintball is a sport, in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint from a special gun called a paintball marker. Depending on the venue, games are played on either indoor or outdoor fields of varying size...
games, and self defense. While there are smoke-generating devices that are dropped from airplanes, the term "smoke bomb" is used to describe the three types of devices:
-
A smoke ball is a hollow, cherry-sized sphere of brightly colored clay or cardboard filled with a smoke-generating composition that produces a forceful jet of colored smoke for 10 to 15 seconds.
The usual chemical equationA chemical equation may be described as a chemical reaction or a means of writing out and describing such a phenomenon. The coefficients next to the symbols and formulae of entities are the absolute values of the stoichiometric numbers...
is 9.6KNO3 + C12H22O11 → 4.8K2CO3 + 7.2CO2 + 11H2O + 4.8N2.
- A smoke candle (also called a smoke generator or smoke canister) is a cylindrical cardboard tube with a fuse, usually 1½ inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
es (37 mmThe millimetre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousandth of a metre, which is the current SI base unit of length.Equal to 1000 micrometres.Equal to 1000000 nanometres....
) in diameter and several inches long and resembling a giant firecrackerA firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing, to contain the explosive compound...
. Such a device creates a thick cloud of smoke for up to several minutes. Uses include providing smoke for smoke testSmoke testing is a term used in plumbing, woodwind repair, electronics, computer software development, and the entertainment industry. It refers to the first test made after repairs or first assembly to provide some assurance that the system under test will not catastrophically fail...
ing and creating a smoke-screenthumb|right|205px|A [[U.S. Army]] [[Humvee]] laying a smoke screenA smoke screen is a release of smoke in order to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft or ships....
for paintballPaintball is a sport, in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint from a special gun called a paintball marker. Depending on the venue, games are played on either indoor or outdoor fields of varying size...
and airsoftAirsoft is a sport, in which participants organize meetings at dedicated airsoft battlefields often adapted to provide walls, bunkers, trenches, buildings, towers, and other similar man-made field enhancements to simulate real combat environments....
games.
- A smoke canister (or smoke grenade
Smoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or a screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non lethal, although incorrect use may cause injury or fatality...
) is a metal can that releases smoke when a pin is pulled. Used for signalling by military personnel.
Colored smokeColored smoke is a kind of smoke created by an aerosol of small particles of a suitable pigment or dye.Colored smoke can be used for smoke signals, often in a military context. It can be produced by smoke grenades, or by various other pyrotechnical devices...
devices use a formula that consists of an oxidizer (typically
potassium chloratePotassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, with the molecular formula KClO
3. In pure form, it is a white crystalline substance. It is the most common chlorate in industrial use, and is usually present in well-stocked laboratories...
, KClO
3), a fuel (generally sugar), a moderant (such as
sodium bicarbonateSodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slight alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda . It is a component of the...
) to keep the reaction from getting too hot, and a powdered organic
dyeA dye can generally be described as a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and may require a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
. The burning of this mixture evaporates the dye and forces it out of the device, where it condenses in the atmosphere to form a "smoke" of finely dispersed particles.
Devices or cartridges containing only the dye are used with an external heat source in a smoke machine.
In the military, smoke bombs are a means for creating
smoke-screenthumb|right|205px|A [[U.S. Army]] [[Humvee]] laying a smoke screenA smoke screen is a release of smoke in order to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft or ships....
s.
Smoke bombs are often sold as consumer fireworks, but smoke grenades (with pins rather than external fuses) are not considered fireworks and are usually not sold at fireworks shops. The military-style smoke grenades also cost much more than smoke bomb fireworks. Military-style smoke grenades often cost around $40 USD, while smoke bombs often cost a few cents.
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