What is the expansion ratio of gunpowder?

When prepared in roughly the correct proportions (75 percent saltpetre, 15 percent charcoal, and 10 percent sulfur), it burns rapidly when ignited and produces approximately 40 percent gaseous and 60 percent solid products, the latter mostly appearing as whitish smoke.

How fast is a gunpowder explosion?

171–631 m/s.
By definition, a “low explosive”, such as black powder, or smokeless gunpowder has a burn rate of 171–631 m/s. In contrast, a “high explosive”, whether a primary, such as detonating cord, or a secondary, such as TNT or C-4 has a significantly higher burn rate.

What happens when you ignite gunpowder?

Since gunpowder comes in a fine powder, a lot of it is quickly burned, resulting in a lot of hot gas and heat being released at once. All this energy forces the gunpowder outward, further igniting more of it and causing the explosion that we can see.

Can you ignite gunpowder by shooting it?

Fires can’t burn in the oxygen-free vacuum of space, but guns can shoot. Modern ammunition contains its own oxidizer, a chemical that will trigger the explosion of gunpowder, and thus the firing of a bullet, wherever you are in the universe.

How many times does gunpowder expand when ignited?

The gunpowder itself doesn’t expand. When ignited, the chemical reaction releases gasses which quickly expand. It sounds like you are looking for an answer like “1 cubic cm of gunpowder expands to x cubic cm of gasses in y secs, so the rate of expansion is x/y cubic cm per sec”.

Does gunpowder explode on impact?

Gunpowder will not ignite from impact, so most cartridges contain a primer, usually a dab of lead styphnate, which turns the whack of the firing pin into an explosion that lights the gunpowder.

How flammable is black powder?

Black powder is a deflagrating explosive. It is very sensitive to flame and spark and can also be ignited by friction and impact. HEALTH HAZARDS Black powder is a Division 1.1 Explosive. and detonation may cause severe physical injury, including death.

How do you increase the burning time of gunpowder?

Deviations from the ideal ratio given above are sometimes utilised to alter the burning behaviour of the mixture, and the addition of small amounts of water to the mixture can also be used to extend the burning time. The precise reactions of gunpowder are difficult to elucidate.

What is the energy density of gunpowder?

Gasoline has a density of about 737 kg/m 3 (see this) while modern gunpowders have densities in the ballpark of 1000 kg/m 3 (see this), which means that, per volume, gasoline has an energy density of about 34000 MJ/m 3 while gunpowder is about 3000 MJ/m 3. However, from Imagiverse:

How does the expansion of gunpowder compare to that of gasoline?

The question: “How does the expansion of gunpowder compare to that of gasoline? Both gunpowder and gasoline are burnt to create gas to create pressure to do work.

What is gunpowder made of?

The fireworks industry is one of the last major industries that still uses traditional black powder. Rather than being one particular compound, gunpowder is actually a mix of three different components. It consists of potassium nitrate (75\% by weight), charcoal (15\% by weight), and sulfur (10\% by weight).