Salute (pyrotechnics)


In pyrotechnics a salute is a device primarily designed to make a loud report, rather than have a visual effect, although most salutes will also have a very bright flash. They most commonly consist of a 70:30 mixture of potassium perchlorate and dark aluminium powder and may have titanium added for a cloud of sparks. The salute may be fired on the ground or launched from a mortar as a shell. Due to the nature of the effect, large salutes are some of the more hazardous fireworks.
Most of the "salutes" are made with flash powder. Flash powder has a very fast burn rate, unlike black powder.
All ground salutes over 50mg and air salutes over 130mg are restricted by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Child Protection Act of 1966.

Examples of salutes


O.D. = Outer diameter
I.D. = Inner diameter