Multi-colored smoke signals applying the concept of fuel mixes

摘要

Novel sugar-free multi-colored smoke formulations fulfilling the concept of so-called fuel mixes were developed. These mixtures only consisted of four ingredients: dye. potassium chlorate. 5-amino-1 H-tetrazole (5-AT) and a magnesium carbonate derivative. Here, the respective fuel mix is prepared by pre-mixing all components except the dye. In a further step, any dye (Disperse Red 9. Violet Dye Mix. Solvent Yellow 33. Solvent Green 3) can be added to obtain a variety of colored smokes by applying the same pyrotechnical system. Even for producers and consumers, fuel mixes are advantageous to reduce costs and at the same time reducing the amount of potentially explosive material in stock. Previous research in our group focused on white smokes containing 5-AT as main fuel, which resulted in an overall higher smoke efficiency and persistence in contrast to sugar-based formulations. This method was applied to new 5-AT-based multi-colored smoke compositions.