Buzz! Bang! Fireworks!
Is a big fireworks display part of your Fourth of July celebration? When the beautiful colors are exploding in the sky, you may wonder how manufacturers create them.
The displays that we watch on special occasions start with an idea.
A fireworks designer might see a flower or a tree that sparks an idea for making a firework.
Once the design is in place, pyrotechnicians* (PIE-roh-tehk-NISH-uns) can begin to build the firework.
Start with stars
The small, hard balls that make the lights we see in a fireworks display are called stars. These marble-sized balls are made out of black powder that’s rolled into a tight ball. The ball also includes an oxidizer (OX-ih-dize-er), which makes the powder burn bright, and salts or metals that give the star its color.
Making a shell
The next step is creating a shell. These paper cases may hold many stars or comets, cylinder-shaped fireworks that make long streaks across the sky.
The pyrotechnician places the stars or comets into the shell in a pattern. For instance,
*Pyro comes from the Greek word pur, meaning fire. A technician is someone who is an expert in details of a certain subject. a smiley face with a red smile, blue eyes and an orange nose will appear in that same pattern when the shell explodes. The shell may be only 6 inches in diameter, but the display might be as large as a football field in the sky!
Making them fly
Next, the shells get a lift charge, which carries the firework up into the sky. The pyrotechnician also adds a time fuse, which explodes the firework. This fuse lets him control how long after launch the firework will explode.
Putting it all together
Once the shells are ready, they’re loaded into mortars, metal tubes used to launch the fireworks. Mortars may be arranged in batteries, wooden frames that hold several mortars in place.
Some pyrotechnicians may fire the shells by hand. Today, most fireworks are attached to an electrical circuit. When the technician gives a signal, the circuit turns on a firing device, much like you turn on a light in your house.
Computers are also used to launch fireworks, especially those that are choreographed (KOR-ee-oh-graffed), or arranged, to music.