When Chinese alchemists fashioned the first manmade explosion sometime during the tenth century, no one could have foreseen its full revolutionary potential. Invented to frighten evil spirits rather than fuel guns or bombs,neither of which had been thought of yet,their simple mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal went on to make the modern world possible. As word of its explosive properties spread from Asia to Europe, from pyrotechnics to battleships, it paved the way for Western exploration, hastened the end of feudalism and the rise of the nation state, and greased the wheels of the Industrial Revolution.With dramatic immediacy, novelist and journalist Jack Kelly conveys both the distant time in which the devil's distillate" rose to conquer the world, and brings to rousing life the eclectic cast of characters who played a role in its epic story, including Michelangelo, Edward III, Vasco da Gama, Cortes, Guy Fawkes, Alfred Nobel, and E. I. DuPont. A must-read for history fans and military buffs alike, Gunpowder brings together a rich terrain of cultures and technological innovations with authoritative research and swashbuckling style.

This concise, easy-to-read book outlines the basic principles needed to understand the chemical mechanisms of explosion. Written for students with no previous knowledge of explosives but some understanding of chemical reactions in mind, it takes the reader through the history of explosives and introduces the concepts of high explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics. Covering combustion, deflagration, and detonation; ignition, initiation, and thermal decomposition; thermochemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics, the text includes detailed formulations and reactions presented with thermochemical calculations to aid understanding. This edition includes environmental legislation and its impact on explosives, together with a section on safety hazard tests. It also contains the latest developments in synthesis and manufacturing of explosives. Covering all aspects of the properties of explosives, The Chemistry of Explosives is a unique text which introduces difficult subjects in a readable manner. Ideal for A-level students and new graduates with no previous knowledge of explosive materials, it will also be useful to anyone needing succinct information on the subject, such as the more experienced chemist in the explosives sector.

There is considerable scope for improving the outcome of any blasting operation through basic understanding and application of the principles of blasting science and technology. The main objective of Performance of Explosives and New Developments is to sensitize the practitioner to critically examine the various empirical approaches in blasting which may have been in use for a long time, but lack any sound material basis. On the other hand, where the empirical approaches have proven of value, significant additional improvement can be achieved through better understanding of the underlying process. None of the components involved in a blasting operation should be treated in isolation, as they are all interlinked. Fragmentation of rock by blasting represents the first stage in the size reduction process which is essential to extraction of valuable minerals and metals. Therefore, understanding the performance of the explosive and initiators under actual field conditions, and critical assessment of the blast results afterwards are central to effective blast design, improved productivity, and novel applications. Performance of Explosives and New Developments presents the state of the art on explosive energy, its utilization in blasting, and some new developments and innovative applications, and is aimed at academics and practitioners in the field.

Blasting practices in mines have undergone many changes in the recent past and continue to be honed and reconfigured to meet the demands of today's mining needs. This volume compiles papers of the workshop Blasting in Mines - New Trends, hosted by the Fragblast 10 Symposium . The 17 papers provide a mix which highlight the evolving trends in blasting in mines. These range from special techniques of cast blasting, applications of seed wave modelling for improved fragmentation, to design of mass blasts and controlled blasting for stability of pit-walls. Blasting in Mines - New Trends will be of particular interest to mining and blasting engineers.

Fragmentation characteristics influence mucking productivity, crusher throughput and energy consumption, plant efficiency, yield and recovery, or the price itself of the end product in the case of industrial minerals and aggregates. Reliable, quantitative measurements of fragment sizes are instrumental in controlling and optimizing the blasting results. Measurement and Analysis of Blast Fragmentation presents the latest developments in rock fragmentation measurement techniques and analysis. It includes image analysis and machine vision techniques, either photographic or 3D such as stereo-photogrammetry and laser triangulation; case studies of fragmentation measurements in a variety of situations and used in different optimization and control tasks; fragmentation analysis and new suitable functional descriptions of size distributions, and model-scale fragmentation tests with weighed size distribution data. The contributions in this book were presented at the workshop Measurement and Analysis of Blast Fragmentation, which was hosted by Fragblast 10 (New Delhi, India, November 2012), provide a snapshot of the activity in rock fragmentation measurements and analysis around the world, and are a must-have reference for engineers and researchers working in rock blasting.

Rock Fragmentation by Blasting contains the papers presented at the 10th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting (New Delhi, India, 26-29 November 2012), and represents the most advanced forum on blasting science and technology. The contributions cover all major recent advancements in blasting and fragmentation, from realistic treatment of the target rock; modelling, measurement and prediction of blast results; control of blast-induced damage, to special blast designs applicable to civil construction and demolition projects. The latest developments on environmental issues associated with blasting operations such as vibrations, flyrock, and dust are also included. Rock Fragmentation by Blasting provides the state-of-the-art in explosives and blasting engineering, and will be a valuable source of information for researchers and practitioners involved in these areas.

Advances in Extraterrestrial Drilling: Ground, Ice, and Underwater includes the latest advances that have been made in recent years in developing drilling and excavation mechanisms for extraterrestrial bodies. The chapters cover drill types, drilling techniques and their advantages and associated issues, rock coring including acquisition, damage control, caching and transport, and data interpretation, as well as unconsolidated soil drilling and borehole stability. This book includes a description of the basic science of the drilling process, associated processes of breaking and penetrating various media, the required hardware, and the process of excavation and analysis of the sampled media. Covers the most recent advances in extraterrestrial drilling. Discusses drilling in the broadest range of media including ground, ice, underwater, and planetary surfaces from shallow to very deep. Provides a comprehensive description of key drilling techniques and the efforts to develop unified approach to assessing the required tools for given drilling requirements. Discusses how environment affects drilling and approaches to addressing the effects and current challenges of drilling and excavation on other planets. Examines novel drilling and excavation approaches. Dr. Yoseph Bar-Cohen is the Supervisor of the Electroactive Technologies Group (http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/) and a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab/Caltech, Pasadena, CA. His research is focused on electro-mechanics including planetary sample handling mechanisms, novel actuators that are driven by materials such as piezoelectric and EAP (also known as artificial muscles), and biomimetics. Dr. Kris Zacny is a Senior Scientist and Vice President of Exploration Systems at Honeybee Robotics, Altadena, CA. His expertise includes space mining, sample handling, soil and rock mechanics, extraterrestrial drilling, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).

A collection of technical papers from contributors around the world, this volume looks at all aspects of environmental engineering with explosives. Whilst some papers focus on the legal issues and EU directives concerning safety and best practice, others consider practical health and safety issues surrounding this subject. Also covers practical applications, recent technological advances and improvements in method, equipment and processes, useful for the researcher or field professional alike.

This book covers military pyrotechnics characteristics, sensitivity, combustion, performance parameters, ingredients and their behaviour, various pyrotechnic compositions and their manufacturing methods, filling, pressing and assembly of ammunition and so forth. Divided into two broader sections, namely military pyrotechnic compositions and military pyrotechnic ammunitions and devices, it provides full spectrum of military pyrotechnics and a guide for all personnel involved with management of military pyrotechnic ammunitions and devices in design, production, inspection, training, and use. Features: Answers "know what", "know why "and "know how" of pyrotechnic compositions and pyrotechnic ammunitions and devices Explains various concepts and mechanisms of the military pyrotechnics Deliberates on role and characteristics of pyrotechnic compositions and its classification Discusses various factors affecting performance and some differences in military pyrotechnics Describes various methods of initiation of ignition in ammunition Elucidates basic requirements of pyrotechnic ammunitions, its development and life cycle of ammunition lots Provides classification, division, shelf life, compatibility and nomenclature of ammunitions and devices Reviews test/proof requirements of ammunitions and devices, deployment and functioning, defect classification, sampling plan and acceptance criteria Explores latest trends in 'green pyrotechnics' for environment- friendly military pyrotechnics

Advances in Extraterrestrial Drilling: Ground, Ice, and Underwater includes the latest advances that have been made in recent years in developing drilling and excavation mechanisms for extraterrestrial bodies. The chapters cover drill types, drilling techniques and their advantages and associated issues, rock coring including acquisition, damage control, caching and transport, and data interpretation, as well as unconsolidated soil drilling and borehole stability. This book includes a description of the basic science of the drilling process, associated processes of breaking and penetrating various media, the required hardware, and the process of excavation and analysis of the sampled media. Covers the most recent advances in extraterrestrial drilling. Discusses drilling in the broadest range of media including ground, ice, underwater, and planetary surfaces from shallow to very deep. Provides a comprehensive description of key drilling techniques and the efforts to develop unified approach to assessing the required tools for given drilling requirements. Discusses how environment affects drilling and approaches to addressing the effects and current challenges of drilling and excavation on other planets. Examines novel drilling and excavation approaches. Dr. Yoseph Bar-Cohen is the Supervisor of the Electroactive Technologies Group (http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/) and a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab/Caltech, Pasadena, CA. His research is focused on electro-mechanics including planetary sample handling mechanisms, novel actuators that are driven by materials such as piezoelectric and EAP (also known as artificial muscles), and biomimetics. Dr. Kris Zacny is a Senior Scientist and Vice President of Exploration Systems at Honeybee Robotics, Altadena, CA. His expertise includes space mining, sample handling, soil and rock mechanics, extraterrestrial drilling, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).

Including 183 color and black-and-white images of vintage photos and packaging, plus values for American firecracker collectibles, this is the first book to focus on US firecrackers. Many pyrobilia guides cover Chinese firecrackers, but the US's history is just as colorful, from fireworks' inception into American celebrations as a replacement for dangerous celebratory gun and cannon fire, until the final federal ban with the Child Protection Act of 1966. Fireworks made the 4th of July the best holiday ever, for generations of boys especially. Beginning with a brief history of the firecracker and how it came to America, the book details the types the US produced-a wide array, from Cherry Bombs and Silver Salutes to Ash Cans and Torpedoes. Also covered are how the US Industrial Revolution impacted fireworks, as well as the innovations throughout the American industry, from its successes to the factory disasters.

Filled with practical applications and research, Biodegradation of Nitroaromatic Compounds and Explosives presents an international perspective on environmental contamination from explosives. It covers biodegradation strategies for DNT and a wide variety of other nitroaromatic compounds of environmental significance and makes the information accessible to practicing environmental and chemical engineers. Biodegradation of Nitroaromatic Compounds and Explosives gives you a synthesis of ongoing research and an appreciation of the remarkable range of biochemical strategies available for the transformation of nitroaromatic compounds. It provides a realistic assessment of the current and potential field applications of the various strategies.

Laser-Based Optical Detection of Explosives offers a comprehensive review of past, present, and emerging laser-based methods for the detection of a variety of explosives. This book: Considers laser propagation safety and explains standard test material preparation for standoff optical-based detection system evaluation Explores explosives detection using deep ultraviolet native fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, reflectometry, and hyperspectral imaging Examines photodissociation followed by laser-induced fluorescence, photothermal methods, cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometry, and short-pulse laser-based techniques Describes the detection and recognition of explosives using terahertz-frequency spectroscopic techniques Each chapter is authored by a leading expert on the respective technology, and is structured to supply historical perspective, address current advantages and challenges, and discuss novel research and applications. Readers are left with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of each technology's capabilities and potential for standoff hazard detection.

Advances in Terrestrial Drilling: Ground, Ice, and Underwater includes the latest drilling and excavation principles and processes for terrestrial environments. The chapters cover the history of drilling and excavation, drill types, drilling techniques and their advantages and associated issues, rock coring including acquisition, damage control, caching and transport, and data interpretation, as well as unconsolidated soil drilling and borehole stability. This book includes a description of the basic science of the drilling process, associated processes of breaking and penetrating various media, the required hardware, and the process of excavation and analysis of the sampled media. Describes recent advances in terrestrial drilling. Discusses drilling in the broadest range of media including terrestrial surfaces, ice and underwater from shallow penetration to very deep. Provides an in-depth description of key drilling techniques and the unified approach to assessing the required tools for given drilling requirements. Discusses environmental effects on drilling, current challenges of drilling and excavation, and methods that are used to address these. Examines novel drilling and excavation approaches. Dr. Yoseph Bar-Cohen is the Supervisor of the Electroactive Technologies Group (http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/) and a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Lab/Caltech, Pasadena, CA. His research is focused on electro-mechanics including planetary sample handling mechanisms, novel actuators that are driven by such materials as piezoelectric and EAP (also known as artificial muscles), and biomimetics. Dr. Kris Zacny is a Senior Scientist and Vice President of Exploration Systems at Honeybee Robotics, Altadena, CA. His expertise includes space mining, sample handling, soil and rock mechanics, extraterrestrial drilling, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).

This unique monograph investigates the synthesis, properties and processing of energetic materials and propellant compositions. The thermal decomposition of energetic compounds, such as aliphatic and aromatic nitrocompounds, nitramines, nitroethers, organic azides and difluoroamines, polynitrous heterocycles, and onium salts of different acids, the most important components of modern propellants, are given. The kinetics and mechanisms of chemical reactions for both real and model compounds are presented and the classic problem of the dependence of explosive activity on molecular structure is examined.

New methods for a formal kinetic description of decay of condensed substances, the determination of the energy of bond rupture in polyfunctional compounds and the theory of solid-phase reactions are also given. Applications to problems of predicting the stability, compatibility, and the stabilization of explosives and propellant components are included.

The book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers and professionals in industry interested in chemical kinetics and the combustion of energetic materials.

Laser-Based Optical Detection of Explosives offers a comprehensive review of past, present, and emerging laser-based methods for the detection of a variety of explosives. This book: Considers laser propagation safety and explains standard test material preparation for standoff optical-based detection system evaluation Explores explosives detection using deep ultraviolet native fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, reflectometry, and hyperspectral imaging Examines photodissociation followed by laser-induced fluorescence, photothermal methods, cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometry, and short-pulse laser-based techniques Describes the detection and recognition of explosives using terahertz-frequency spectroscopic techniques Each chapter is authored by a leading expert on the respective technology, and is structured to supply historical perspective, address current advantages and challenges, and discuss novel research and applications. Readers are left with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of each technology's capabilities and potential for standoff hazard detection.

This book reviews the development of research into the explosive loading of structures, mainly since the beginning of the twentieth century. Major contributions in the fields of measurement, analysis and prediction are discussed. Dynamic loading from conventional high explosives is examined, as well as the effects of liquid propellant, dust, gas, vapour, and fuel/air explosions. Subjects include blast in tunnels, underground and underwater explosions, pressure measurement and blast stimulation. Explosive effects on civil buildings, civil bridges, aircraft and ships are summarized, including the estimation of residual strength. The concluding passages refer to structural safety and reliability.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203473868

Presenting a comprehensive overview of the fire resistance of building structures, this key text brings together a large volume of material from many sources on this increasingly important topic. Opening with the fundamentals of fires and fire safety, the book gives an introduction to real fire exposure and the response of strutures to such fires, outlining the important contribution of structural fire resistance to overall fire safety. Methods of calculating fire severity and achieving fire resistance are described, including fire performance of the main structural materials including structural steel, reinforced concrete and timber construction. Particularly valuable elements of the book are its design sections (incorporating international methods), where the arlier material is synthesised and recommendations are rmade for rational design of building structures exposed to fires.
Structural Design for Fire Safety provides expert guidance on:

• interpreting code requirements for fire safety
• understanding the concepts of fire severity and fire resistance
• estimating time-temperature curves for fully developed compartment fires
• understanding the behaviour of structural elements and buildings exposed to fires
• designing steel, concrete and timber structures to resist fire exposure
• assessing the fire performance of existing structures

In addition, the book includes valuable calculations and worked examples, unavailable elsewhere.
This is an essential book for structural engineers who wish to improve their understanding of buildings exposed to severe fires. It is also an ideal textbook for introductory courses in fire safety for a civil or structural engineering degree programme, and is vital reading for final year students in fire protection and fire safety engineering. Furthermore, it successfully bridges the information gap between fire safety engineers, structural engineers and building inspectors, and will be of significant interest to architects, code officials, building designers and firefighters.

Tunnelling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting presents the latest developments in the excavation of tunnels using the drilling and blasting method. Examples of work conducted throughout the world including the Indian sub-continent, Australia, and Sweden amongst others are discussed. These tunnel projects serve to illustrate the challenges and importance of drilling accuracy, the effect of geology, methods of vibration prediction and control, and techniques for assessing tunnel performance in terms of overbreak and underbreak, advance and rock mass damage. A number of case studies demonstrate the ingenuity required to successfully excavate tunnels in demanding circumstances. Finally, an overview is provided of the software tools and IT, and the explosives and initiation products used to implement tunnel blast designs. Tunnelling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting is the outcome of the workshop, Tunnelling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting, hosted by the 10th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting (Fragblast 10, November 2010, New Delhi, India), and is essential reading for researchers and practitioners in tunnelling in rock by drilling and blasting.

The combustion properties of organic materials are used to assess their safety specifications. This knowledge is necessary to avoid potentially disastrous fires. The experimental determination of the combustion properties of a new organic compound is laborious and sometimes even impossible. This book describes methods for the determination and prediction of the combustion properties of organic compounds, along with some examples and exercises. This 2nd Edition includes an updated and improved presentation of the applicationnof different new models for reliable prediction of diverse aspects of flammability of organic compounds.

Major advances, both in modeling methods and in the computing power required to make those methods viable, have led to major breakthroughs in our ability to model the performance and vulnerability of explosives and propellants. In addition, the development of proton radiography during the last decade has provided researchers with a major new experimental tool for studying explosive and shock wave physics. Problems that were once considered intractable - such as the generation of water cavities, jets, and stems by explosives and projectiles - have now been solved. Numerical Modeling of Explosives and Propellants, Third Edition provides a complete overview of this rapidly emerging field, covering basic reactive fluid dynamics as well as the latest and most complex methods and findings. It also describes and evaluates Russian contributions to the experimental explosive physics database, which only recently have become available. This book comes with downloadable resources that contain- * FORTRAN and executable computer codes that operate under Microsoft (R) Windows Vista operating system and the OS X operating system for Apple computers * Windows Vista and MAC compatible movies and PowerPoint presentations for each chapter * Explosive and shock wave databases generated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Russian Federal Nuclear Centers Charles Mader's three-pronged approach - through text, computer programs, and animations - imparts a thorough understanding of new computational methods and experimental measuring techniques, while also providing the tools to put these methods to effective use.

This work covers such topics as: EU directives and harmonization work; health, safety and environment; recent technical development - products and processes; shot hole development; and management of blasting operations.

This dictionary contains 739 entries with about 1400 references to the primary literature. Details on the composition, performance, sensitivity and other pertinent properties of Energetic Materials such as High Explosives, Propellants, Pyrotechnics, as well as important ingredients such as Oxidizers, Fuels, Binders, and Modifiers are given and presented partly in over 180 tables with more than 240 structural formulas . In detail the dictionary gives elaborate descriptions of 460 Chemical Substances 170 Pyrotechnic Compositions 360 High Explosive and Propellant Formulations In addition, the basic physical and thermochemical properties of 435 pure substances (elements & compounds) typically occuring as ingredients or reaction products are given too. 150 Figures, schemes and diagrams explain Applications, Test methods, Scientific facilities, and finally Individuals closely tied with the development and investigation of Energetic Materials. The book is intended for readers with a technical or scientific background, active in governmental agencies, research institutes, trade and industry, concerned with the procurement, development, manufacture, investigation and use of Energetic Materials, such as High Explosives, Propellants, Pyrotechnics, Fireworks and Ammunition. The book serves both as a daily reference for the experienced as well as an introduction for the newcomer to the field.