Fallout (fireworks)
Fallout in pyrotechnic fireworks occurs after the fireworks have burned off from the components that were shot upwards but are not completely burned and therefore fall back to the ground.
Name derivation
Fallout comes from the Engl. fallout and means precipitation. The term is also used in connection with radioactive fallout and the ejection of solid components ( pyroclastics ) during a volcanic eruption (also called airfall ).
composition
- The fallout in fireworks locally consists of larger pieces, mostly unburned pieces.
- Combustion gases, such as sulfur dioxide from black powder, mix with the atmosphere, are carried with the air flow and can react chemically with buildings and nature elsewhere - these gases are not part of fallout.
- Solid and - very little - liquid combustion products mainly form very small particles, which are blown and swirled by the wind as an aerosol and only sink so slowly and attach to surfaces that they fall over a relatively large area of the world.
Depending on their design and size, rockets and other upward-flying pyrotechnic items rise about 1–100 meters high, where they often burst with a bang. Larger particles of unburned residues fall back to the ground in a radius that is at least as large from the launch site. The largest pieces are the mostly burned wooden guide rods of the rockets , sometimes separated from the propellant . The possibly melted ceramic nozzle and the clay damming in the ends of the cardboard sleeve of a rocket often remain undisassembled. When it bursts, part of the cardboard jacket can tear itself apart into so small pieces of paper that they trickle down like small leaves. Larger sleeve pieces, on the other hand, quickly fall to the ground, sometimes in combination with the nozzle. Conical caps usually made of thin, single-colored plastic are thin-walled and therefore relatively light.
Cold fallout essentially comes to the ground chilled. If the fireworks did not rise as far as planned by the manufacturer, for example because it was not launched vertically upwards but at an angle, larger or smaller slag particles can reach the bottom while still molten. Sometimes it also happens that the effect phrase still burns or cardboard still glows when it comes up .
Chemical products (hot metal oxides or slag ) that were used to generate the light or bang effects should generally no longer return to the earth's surface in a solid consistency, but this cannot be ruled out in every case. If a fireworks rocket is used incorrectly (e.g. the wooden stick jams in its holder), it can also happen that it does not rise and its burning chemicals are distributed close to the ground.
The hot fallout from fireworks has repeatedly led to building fires (see e.g. a bridge in Lyon in 1820 , the Passerelle du Palais de Justice ).
The so-called black shell (from English : "black grenade") can also be counted as part of the fallout . Fireworks or parts of them that have risen after ignition but not burned down, but fall back to the ground in one piece and are still fully or partially operational ( failure ).
Due to the risk of injury (e.g. eye injuries or damage to the paintwork of vehicles) from falling wooden guide rods in fireworks rockets, professional fireworkers often do without them and consistently use bombs for high-altitude fireworks . Air howls as such are generally no longer permitted.
Fallout zone
In the case of professional fireworks, the fallout zone, such as the burn zone and the spectator area, must be determined and cordoned off by the fireworks in advance. The fallout zone and the burn zone (safety area) usually coincide spatially.
Risk of damage
Fallout visually and chemically pollutes the floor.
Hot fallout can ignite combustible material, dry meadows, structures, and other things. The greatest risk of fire arises from rockets that fly into the house windows - possibly only tilted open. Hot residues can damage heat-sensitive surfaces, i.e. car paint, plastic or foil roofs, tarpaulins.
The farmers' union in Tyrol points out the pollution of meadows, pastures and fields. If sharp-edged and poisonous material subsequently ends up in animal feed, it can be dangerous for animals. One appeals to the polluters to clean the affected areas after fireworks. According to this, around 1000 tons of garbage are generated in Austria on New Year's Eve and around 10% of fine dust emissions for the entire year.
Demarcation
The remains of fireworks that were not shot up with propellants, i.e. launch cardboard with tubes, stoppine covers , protective covers , warnings and instructions for use, etc. are normal waste and do not belong to the fireworks fallout. However, they have a strong smell of powder smoke and are therefore often left behind not only to air out, but also to mean sweeping work for road maintenance and cleaning work for landowners.
See also
- Fireworks
- Blast swath (blasting technology)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leaflet "Use of pyrotechnics at outdoor events" ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection eV assumes only metal oxides, slag or soot in the fallout of fireworks.
- ↑ Environment: Bauernbund wants fewer New Year's rockets orf.at, December 19, 2019, accessed December 20, 2019.
