Towards understanding the effect of temperature and humidity on the safety and performance of tracer pyrotechnic composition

Abstract

The present work aims to study the effect of environmental hazards, namely, temperature and humidity, on the performance and sensitivity of tracer pyrotechnic composition. The experiments showed that the different pyrotechnic compositions, aged under different conditions, are prone to become more sensitive to impact and friction. It is also revealed that aging has a negative impact on luminous intensity for which the thermal aging declined the light intensity by 38.5%, while the moisture deteriorated it by 66%, compared to the pristine composition. The thermal analysis of the aged pyrotechnic compositions demonstrated a direct correlation between the heat of reactions and the magnesium content, the primary heat source, which decreases due to the formation of metal oxides (Mg(OH)2 and MgO) during the aging process. This investigation will certainly contribute to comprehensively understanding the degradation mechanism of tracer pyrotechnic compositions, and provide information on how the physical status of materials influences the luminosity, the sensitivity, and the heat of combustion reaction.