Firecrackers
The term bang , colloquially known as firecrackers , is a collective term for various types of pyrotechnic objects that produce a bang as the main effect. They are primarily used for amusement as fireworks , but also for technical purposes , for example in the context of artistic performances (e.g. stage bangs) or as signal ammunition . Furthermore, blind weapons that are loaded only with powder, as are blast or firecrackers called.
construction
Firecrackers usually consist of a hard shell made of glued paper or (less often) plastic fibers that contain a relatively weak explosive . In Germany, over-the-counter bangers that are assigned to category F2 may only contain black powder as an effect set. Other mixtures, for example with flash powder made of aluminum powder and potassium perchlorate , are only allowed in category F2 for persons with official permission (see chapter Admissibility ; the same applies to category F3) or pyrotechnicians . Outside of Germany, bangers are often filled with a high-energy bolt of lightning bangs that produce a powerful, usually sharp bang even without a stable case.
A fuse or a rubbing head like a match is used for ignition . Contrary to popular belief, a gun filled with gunpowder does not detonate , but rather its shell tears due to a rapid increase in pressure caused by the burning of the gunpowder ( deflagration ). The pressure wave does not propagate at supersonic speed (in relation to the black powder). In contrast to the much faster burning metal powder mixtures, black powder burns comparatively slowly at 300 to 600 m / s and therefore does not exceed the sound limit of the air in all cases . The result is a pop effect that sounds a little “softer” than a lightning bolt sentence. In addition to black powder, firecrackers also contain ordinary clay or red clay to fill up and dam up cavities .
history
The word firecrackers comes from medieval warfare. 1343 "Pöler" are mentioned for the first time in Regensburg, who were carried on a campaign. This probably meant small centrifugal machines (in Middle High German boln , spin '). Later, in the early days of firearms, the word referred to small cannons for signal shots.
It is not exactly known since when there were firecrackers in the sense of fireworks. It can be assumed that they have their origins in gun salutes , from which independent fireworks developed over the centuries. The basic forms of rubbing head crackers, cannon blows and firecrackers probably developed in the course of the 19th century. For the history of the Chinaböller in Germany see section 3.1.2 .
species
Chinaböller
Cylindrical bangers with a Chinese fuse are called Chinaböller . They are mostly produced in the People's Republic of China and imported from there and are widespread in Central Europe. The packaging made of red tissue paper is typical . They are usually filled with black powder (generally in Germany). Variants that are very common in Germany are 440 (often referred to as Pyrocracker ), 460 ( Chinaböller A ), 480 ( Chinaböller B ), 490 ( Chinaböller D ), 500 ( Superböller I ) and 510 ( Superböller II ). The figures are (former) standards for the dimensions of the Chinese bulls; today's firecrackers are usually a bit smaller now. The sizes 450 ( petard ) and 470 ( Chinaböller C ) are rarer . As firecrackers chains firecrackers are called, which are bundled into mats. In Germany, lady crackers (40 or 70 mats) and package crackers (slightly larger, 20 or 30 mats) were common. In the past, these little crackling larks were also available individually; they were known as Pfennigschwärmer , Zisselmännchen or Piepmanscher , in Switzerland the name Frauenfurz is common. The Weco company calls their packet crackers mini bangers . These were most recently sold unbundled with individual fuses. Since 2009, much longer mats with lady or packet crackers as well as mats made from larger types of firecrackers have been available in Germany. In other countries, especially in China, extremely long mats with thousands of bangers are sold. They are often wrapped in a cake shape and are therefore referred to as cakes .
Containers of a defined number of Chinabollern are colloquially referred to as ham . For example, a ham Chinaböller A consists of 240 and a ham Chinaböller D consists of 80 individual hits. The name “ham” comes from the red tissue paper packaging that was customary in the past. Today cardboard boxes are mostly used for this.
Decreased volume
Chinaböller, especially the larger D and Superböller, used to be considerably louder on average. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the result of an excessively strict legal framework in Germany. This allows 120 dB at a distance of eight meters, which most of today's Chinese bollards can no longer even come close to. The cause can be assumed to be price dumping, which has been at the expense of product quality since the 1980s. Associated factors were the liberalization of the Chinese markets and the massive sale of Chinabollern through large retail chains. The loss of quality was evident from the weak wall thickness and reduced black powder content. This has been reduced so much that today's firecrackers sometimes no longer burst properly.
history
Originally, firecrackers made in Germany dominated the offer in Germany. Even before the war, however, there were Chinese mini bang and bang mats. Chinaböller came up in the Federal Republic in the 1960s. The firecrackers were broken down into a number of small pieces of paper, which was effective but also fire-promoting. The fuses were gray at the time and burned off very quickly and irregularly. In addition, the Chinese fuse was sensitive to moisture. In the 1970s D-Böller and the beginning of the 1980s the Superböller were added, which at the time were of high quality and very loud. The labels of the Chinaböller packets were often lovingly designed. The Tigerhead label, Bo Peep, Baron Münchhausen and others were legendary.
In the past, the term Chinaböller was more clearly differentiated from other firecrackers: a Chinaböller was a traditional Chinese firecracker. This resulted in the cylindrical body made of rolled up paper, inside of which was a black powder soul . The paper was rolled up at the ends in order to achieve the containment required for gunpowder bangers. The ignition took place via a fuse. The Chinabollers burst into many pieces of paper with no stumps left behind. At the end of the 1990s, this design was fundamentally changed, on the one hand for fire protection reasons, as the many paper scraps tended to glow afterwards, on the other hand, in order to automate production with a new patent. Since then, Chinaböller have had a black powder capsule placed in the middle (instead of the black powder soul previously drawn through the entire length). The ends were then stuffed with red clay. The classic Chinese fuse was gradually replaced by the more reliable green Chinese Green Visco . The carding of the rear end of the gun was given up in the course of the 90s. Since around the mid-2000s, the front end of the firecracker has usually no longer been carded, but glued. Since the end of 2016, however, firecrackers in the old Chinaböller design in the old, hand-made construction with black powder soul have been offered on the German market. Instead of the Chinese Green Visco, these also have the classic Chinese Fuse (often referred to as the "gray fuse"). In addition, the ends of these bangers are rolled up again.
Cylindrical cannon strike
A “cannon strike” is a mostly red-colored, cylindrical banger, neatly processed with a solid layer of cardboard and glue, with a safety fuse that carries a gunpowder head at the top (also known as a Bickford powder fuse ). Often larger cannon strokes had a so-called choking in the lower, sometimes also in the upper area. The bang is loud and deep. Traditionally, cannon strikes were high-priced quality products from Germany. At the moment there are mainly after-effects from China on the market, which have gained acceptance due to the lower price. According to their design, these simulations are mostly larger Chinaböller with minor modifications. The quality of workmanship and the strength of the effect differ significantly from the cannon strokes made in Germany. The latter are currently (2017) only manufactured by a larger German company and sold by this and - under a different name - a Dutch company.
Cubic cannon strike
A “Cubic Cannon Strike” is a squat bang in the shape of a cube that explodes with a particularly dull bang after being ignited. It can be recognized by the fact that the surface of the cube is tightly bandaged and glued with hemp split over three axes . The half a centimeter wide fuse, which causes the firecracker to explode from the inside, is protected by a plastic cap that prevents the fuse from getting wet or igniting unintentionally. Cubic cannon strokes - in various sizes - were made in Germany for decades. In the 1990s, the first German fireworks companies also had these produced in the People's Republic of China. Shortly after the mid-2000s, the last company ceased production in Germany. Since then, cubic cannon strokes have only been made in China.
Rubbing heads
"Reibkopfböller" or "Reibkopfknaller" are small, long cylindrical bangers. Instead of a fuse, they have a reaming head similar to the head of matches . They are ignited by rubbing against a matchbox or special friction boards. The rubbing head crackers currently available in Germany are filled with relatively small amounts of black powder and therefore usually do not generate a particularly loud bang. The GDR was known for the production of high-quality rubbing head crackers with lightning cracks ( Harzer Knaller , Filou , lightning strikes , power crackers , etc.). For reunification, the knockers had to be adapted to the 115 dB allowed in the FRG at that time and the BKS ban. In 2006 the production of the original Harzer Knaller , the last rubbing head knocker still made in Silberhütte , was finally stopped. Since then, the market has been flooded with Chinese imitations such as Harz-style crackers. Although these are inexpensive, they cannot be compared with German products in terms of quality and volume. Traditional West German hits have also largely disappeared. The somewhat thicker rubbing heads ( petards , firecrackers A , rubbing cannon strikes) are no longer produced. Teufelsknaller and Harzer Hexenknall , which sprayed a golden shower before the bang, were legendary . Swarmers used to have a spray effect that was so strong that it let the banger fly parallel to the ground before it disintegrated with a bang. The spray effect of the swarmers was weakened due to changes in legal regulations in the 1990s, so that they could no longer fly before the bang. As a result, with the exception of a mostly still existing golden rain phase before the bang, they no longer differed from ordinary rubbing head crackers (the last rubbing head crackers marketed as enthusiasts were the Schwärmer A from Comet ). At the moment (2016) only one producer still produces some rubbing head crackers in Germany, for example German Kracher . In other countries, rubbing heads are often filled with lightning pops and are therefore considerably louder than the products available in Germany. Rubbing head crackers known as pirates are particularly widespread in Austria ; however, their use in the local area is prohibited by law. In the course of EU harmonization, however, a BKS ban in rubbing heads is also planned for other EU countries.
Crack frog
A "firecracker" is green and looks like folded paper. It consists of a single load that is split into several loads by folding and folding several times during production. A fuse, which runs through the explosive body from start to finish, ignites them one after the other. Due to the design, the crackpot jumps around uncontrollably. Snap frogs are no longer manufactured in Germany, but only imported into China and Germany.
Pop pull cord
A "pop-pull cord" (also called "pop kids" or "firecracker") consists of an approx. 40 centimeter long cord, in the middle of which there is an approx. Four centimeter long bang, whose diameter is only a few millimeters. By quickly pulling the two ends of the cord apart, an explosion is triggered, but it is much weaker than with the other types of firecrackers. Therefore, pull cords are classified in class I and may be used by people aged twelve and over - with the supervision of an adult, even under twelve - all year round. Since fiery pieces sometimes rise when bang, they are rarely on offer.
Crackling pea
Snap peas also belong to category F1 (all year round fireworks) . Paradoxically, for this little joke of all things, an initial explosive, namely silver fulminate, is used, but in such a small amount that there is no danger. This initial explosive detonates through the friction of small stones wrapped in crepe paper. That it is actually silver fulminate can be seen from the fact that elemental silver has attached itself to the stones after the explosion. They are packed in sawdust in boxes of 50. They are also available in large, ten pieces per can.
Availability
Category F1 bangers can be sold and burned all year round. In Germany, however, they can usually only be found on special occasions such as the weeks before Halloween or New Year's Eve in the offerings of larger retail chains. Small retailers such as B. some kiosks or booths or also specialist dealers and online shops offer category F1 fireworks all year round. Category F2 firecrackers may only be sold in Germany on the last three working days of the year and only burned on New Year's Eve and New Year's. It is possible to issue special permits. Sales before New Year's Eve are mainly carried out via large retail chains ( discounters , supermarkets, hardware stores, furniture stores, remaining stock shops and drugstore chains ). Fireworks used to be used by many small retailers such as B. Sells drugstores, toy and stationery stores and kiosks. Occasionally they still have fireworks on offer today, sometimes from very old stocks. For a number of years there have also been various online shops and specialist dealers where firecrackers can be purchased. A possible delivery of articles of the category F2 may - without the existence of an exemption from the customer - take place shortly before New Year's Eve at the legally stipulated sales times. In Austria, category F2 firecrackers are allowed all year round, but they can only be burned all year round outside of built-up areas.
admissibility
For general information on the legal situation, see pyrotechnics . The admissibility of firecrackers in particular is regulated:
Germany - In the Explosives Act :
- Fireworks of category F1 may be used by minors, whereby a dispensing recommendation of twelve years should be adhered to, or the use takes place under the supervision of an adult. Pyrotechnic objects of category F1 must not be louder than 120 dB A, measured from a distance of one meter. Firecrackers in the definition of a purely acoustic effect are excluded from a possible approval in category F1.
- Bangers or fireworks of category F2 may only be given to and used by people who are 18 years of age or older. They may only be used on New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve (according to Section 23 of the 1. SprengV) without a different exemption. According to the now EU-wide regulations, they must not be louder than 120 dbA, measured at a distance of eight meters.
- Category F2 firecrackers with a flash of lightning may only be given to persons with official permission (Section 20 IV of the 1st SprengV)
- Fireworks of both categories must have a valid CE mark with a valid four-digit test number.
Austria - In the Pyrotechnics Act :
- Fireworks of category F1 may be used by people over the age of 12.
- Bangers or fireworks of category F2 may only be used by people who have reached the age of 16.
- Fireworks of both classes must have a valid CE mark and a valid registration number.
Illegal firecrackers
Names such as "Polenböller" , "Tschechenböller" , "Franzosenkracher" are colloquial for fireworks that are not permitted in Germany, Austria and some other EU countries or are only legal for people with pyrotechnic training or official permission. These are mostly floor blasters that fall into categories F3 or F4 or may not be used at all due to safety deficiencies (e.g. in-house laboratories). Most of these firecrackers contain lightning bolt sentences , which are prohibited in Germany even with floor blasters of category F2 for people without official permission. In some EU countries, however, the acquisition and use of CE-approved fireworks of category F3 are permitted for adults without special permission, e.g. B. in Poland , the Czech Republic or Spain . As many Germans and Austrians therefore purchase pyrotechnic articles close to the border, these purchases are illegal unless they are certified fireworks of categories F1 and F2. Such firecrackers, sometimes also other illegal fireworks, are often referred to in the media as "Poles", sometimes also as "Czech firecrackers". However, these are not made in Poland or the Czech Republic, but - like a very large proportion of the articles legal in Germany - in China or sometimes in Italy.
Firecrackers as signal ammunition and blind weapon
The term firecrackers originally referred to blind weapons, i.e. cannons, rifles or pistols that were only loaded with powder and fired for gun salutes . The purpose of these gun salutes were usually solemn occasions. The bang gun is still known today as a children's toy, the powder flakes of which also generate a bang without firing a projectile. Firecrackers are used as signal ammunition by the military, among others. So-called alarm weapons ( SSW for short ) can also be equipped with firecrackers. In this case, the bang serves as a signal or also for intimidation. The purchase and possession of such SSWs is permitted, but handling charged SSWs outside of one's own property is only permitted in Germany with a small gun license (see Section 10 (4 ) WaffG ).
Accidents
In a house in Kapfenstein , Styria , “illegal large-scale fireworks” were produced. On November 17, 2014, there was an extraordinarily powerful explosion there, which fundamentally destroyed a house and killed two people, father and son. Because houses within a two-kilometer radius were damaged, the damage was estimated at around one million euros. Handling an explosive powder was given as the cause. After around 5,000 firecrackers were removed and blown up in a controlled manner, the interior ministry's defusing service pronounced the so-called crime scene security.
Web links
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Georg Schwedt : Chemical basics of pyrotechnics. Springer Spectrum, Berlin 2019, p. 57; 61.
- ^ Friedrich Kluge: Etymological dictionary of the German language . Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2019, ISBN 978-3-11-154374-1 , p. 90 .
- ↑ Dimensions of the different firecrackers sizes with table (Dutch)
- ↑ Art. 2 4th SprengGÄndG of 2009, Paragraph 42 II A 1 b ii
- ↑ SprengÄndG ( BGBl. 1998 I p. 1530, 1552 )
- ↑ Patent DE 19834501 C1 for the production of firecrackers with a weakened wall of the explosion room
- ↑ Bickford powder fuse in the fireworks wiki at feuerwerk.net
- ↑ cf. Weco product catalog 2005 p. 43 (top right with the “Made in Germany” logo) with Weco product catalog 2007 p. 60 ff., In which cubic cannon strokes with reference to German production are already missing.
- ↑ Information from German customs on bringing fireworks from abroad
- ^ Kapfenstein: Brothers bunkered thousands of firecrackers. In: steiermark.orf.at. November 19, 2014, accessed February 27, 2015 .
