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'''Gunpowder''', a.k.a. ''']''' or ''']''', is a substance that ] very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a ] in ]. Gunpowder is a low explosive. As it burns, a subsonic ] wave is produced rather than the supersonic ] wave which ] produce. As a result, pressures generated inside a gun are sufficient to propel a ], but not sufficient to destroy the barrel. At the same time, this makes gunpowder less suitable for shattering rock or fortifications, applications where high explosives are preferred. '''Gunpowder''', whether ''']''' or ''']''', is a substance that ] very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a ] in ]. Gunpowder is a low explosive. As it burns, a subsonic ] wave is produced rather than the supersonic ] wave which ] produce. As a result, pressures generated inside a gun are sufficient to propel a ], but not sufficient to destroy the barrel. At the same time, this makes gunpowder less suitable for shattering rock or fortifications, applications where high explosives are preferred.


==History and origins==
], ].]] ], ].]]
Gunpowder is one of the ] of the Chinese. Gunpowder is considered one of the ] of the Chinese, though in fact it is not known whether it was first invented in China.
The first type of gunpowder was ], which Chinese scientists created by mixing sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate) more than 2000 years ago. In the Western world , neither the inventor(s) nor exact date of creation is known. Historians of various cultures have postulated that it was invented between the seventh or ninth centuries by the ]. The knowledge of gunpowder spread West with first the Arabs learning from the Chinese and then finally the Europeans learning from the Arabs. It is impossible that black powder was invented independently by more than one culture at the same time. It was the first chemical propellent and the first explosive recorded in history.


The first type of gunpowder was ]. Neither its inventors nor exact date of creation is known. Historians of various cultures have postulated that it was invented between the seventh or ninth centuries by either the ] or the ]. In the West, ] was the first to describe the formula for gunpowder on the ground of a passage in his ''On Marvelous Power of Art and Nature'' in ], leading many in the ensuing centuries to the mistaken belief that Bacon invented gunpowder -- even though Bacon himself mentioned that gunpowder was known in diverse places (see ''Opus tertium'', by order of ] in ]). It is also possible that black powder was invented independently by more than one culture at around the same time. As James Partington states in ''A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder'': <blockquote> ''Gunpowder is not, of course, an 'invention' in the modern sense, the product of a single time and place; no individual's name can be attached to it, nor can that of any single nation or region. Fire is one of the primordial forces of nature, and incendiary weapons have had a place in armies' toolkits for almost as long as civilized states have made war.'' </blockquote>
The Chinese employed their invention of gunpowder most commonly in peaceful activities such as the shooting of fireworks at special occasions like New Years and other festivities. Taoist monks produced the world's first ] by experimenting with gunpowder. The ] complemented formal ceremonies very nicely. Other uses included weapons to make noise for startling enemy horses, and explosive grenades of foul-smelling materials to spread a terrible stench. The Arabs are generally credited with being the first to purify gunpowder to contain almost no sodium nitrate (only potassium nitrate) and to have a high enough quality to use effectively as a combat explosive. By the ] they had invented both a ] and ], both spear-tipped. The spear would lodge into a boat or other large surface and then the explosives would detonate as the propellant burned out. However, far before the Arabs even knew of gunpowder, the Chinese were using it in flamethrowers, three-stage rockets in naval battles, landmines, bronze cannons, and basic missiles.
Regardless of origin, gunpowder was the first chemical propellant and the first explosive recorded in history.


The Arabs are generally credited with being the first to purify gunpowder to contain almost no sodium nitrate (only potassium nitrate) and to have a high enough quality to use effectively as a combat explosive. By the ] they had invented both a ] and ], both spear-tipped. The spear would lodge into a boat or other large surface and then the explosives would detonate as the propellant burned out.
⚫ Black powder is a mixture of ] (] or, less frequently, ]), ] and ] with a ratio (by weight) of approximately 15:3:2 respectively. The ratio has altered over the centuries of its use, and can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder. Unlike smokeless propellants, it acts more like an explosive since its burn rate is not affected by pressure, but it is a very poor explosive because it has a very slow decomposition rate and therefore a very low ]. This same property that makes it a poor explosive makes it useful as a propellant — the lack of brisance keeps the black powder from shattering the barrel, and directs the energy to propelling the bullet. Historically, potassium nitrate was ] from manure by a process superficially similar to ]. '''Nitre beds''' took about a year to produce crystallized potassium nitrate.


==Composition, characteristics and use==
⚫ The main disadvantages of black powder are a relatively low energy density (compared to modern smokeless powders) and the extremely large quantities of soot left behind. During the combustion process, less than half of black powder is converted to gas. The rest ends up as a thick layer of soot inside the barrel and a dense cloud of white smoke. In addition to being a nuisance, the residue in the barrel is ] and an ] caustic substance. When moisture from the air is absorbed, the ] or ] turn into ], which will corrode ] or ] gun barrels. Black powder arms must be well cleaned inside and out after firing to remove the residue. The size of the granules of powder and the confinement determine the burn rate of black powder. Finer grains result in a closer mix of the ingredients, which results in a faster burn. Tight confinement in the barrel causes a column of black powder to explode, which is the desired result. Not seating the bullet firmly against the powder column can result in a harmonic shockwave, which can create a dangerous overpressure condition and damage the gun barrel. One of the advantages of ] is that precise loading of the charge is not as vital as with smokeless powder firearms and is carried out using volumetric measures rather than precise weight. However, overloading causing damage to a gun and its shooter is still possible. The lack of pressure sensitivity means that the mass of the bullet makes little or no difference to the amount of powder used. A full charge of black powder seated by just a small wad of paper, with no bullet, will still burn just as quickly as if it had a full weight bullet in front of it. This makes black powder well suited for blank rounds, signal flares, and rescue line launches.
⚫ Black powder is a mixture of saltpeter (] or, less frequently, ]), ] and ] with a ratio (by weight) of approximately 15:3:2 respectively. The ratio has altered over the centuries of its use, and can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder. Unlike smokeless propellants, it acts more like an explosive since its burn rate is not affected by pressure, but it is a very poor explosive because it has a very slow decomposition rate and therefore a very low ]. This same property that makes it a poor explosive makes it useful as a propellant — the lack of brisance keeps the black powder from shattering the barrel, and directs the energy to propelling the bullet. Historically, potassium nitrate was ] from manure by a process superficially similar to composting. '''Nitre beds''' took about a year to produce crystallized potassium nitrate.


The main disadvantages of black powder are a relatively low energy density (compared to modern smokeless powders) and the extremely large quantities of soot left behind. During the combustion process, less than half of black powder is converted to gas. The rest ends up as a thick layer of soot inside the barrel and a dense cloud of white smoke. In addition to being a nuisance, the residue in the barrel is hydrophilic and an anhydrous caustic substance. When moisture from the air is absorbed, the ] or ] turn into ]s, which will corrode ] or ] gun barrels. Black powder arms must be well cleaned inside and out after firing to remove the residue. The thick smoke of black powder is also a disadvantage, as it can quickly become so opaque as to impair aiming.
The size of the granules of powder and the confinement determine the burn rate of black powder. Finer grains result in a closer mix of the ingredients, which results in a faster burn. Tight confinement in the barrel causes a column of black powder to explode, which is the desired result. Not seating the bullet firmly against the powder column can result in a harmonic shockwave, which can create a dangerous overpressure condition and damage the gun barrel. One of the advantages of ] is that precise loading of the charge is not as vital as with smokeless powder firearms and is carried out using volumetric measures rather than precise weight. However, overloading causing damage to a gun and its shooter is still possible. The lack of pressure sensitivity means that the mass of the bullet makes little or no difference to the amount of powder used. A full charge of black powder seated by just a small wad of paper, with no bullet, will still burn just as quickly as if it had a full weight bullet in front of it. This makes black powder well suited for blank rounds, signal flares, and rescue line launches.


⚫ The size of the granules of powder and the confinement determine the burn rate of black powder. Finer grains result in a closer mix of the ingredients, which results in a faster burn. Tight confinement in the barrel causes a column of black powder to explode, which is the desired result. Not seating the bullet firmly against the powder column can result in a harmonic shockwave, which can create a dangerous over-pressure condition and damage the gun barrel. One of the advantages of ] is that precise loading of the charge is not as vital as with smokeless powder firearms and is carried out using volumetric measures rather than precise weight. However, overloading causing damage to a gun and its shooter is still possible. The lack of pressure sensitivity means that the mass of the bullet makes little or no difference to the amount of powder used. A full charge of black powder seated by just a small wad of paper, with no bullet, will still burn just as quickly as if it had a full weight bullet in front of it. This makes black powder well suited for blank rounds, signal flares, and rescue line launches.
Gunpowder tea, which called "Zhucha" in ], also known as "pearl" tea in ]. Gunpowder tea is so-called because it is rolled into small balls resembling gunpowder pellets. Gunpowder tea is one of the main Chinese ] for export. The main producing area of gunpowder tea in China is ] province.


==See also== ==See also==
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==External links and references== ==External links and references==
*http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1225.html
*http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/CHINA-GUNPOWDER.HTML
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* {{cite book | author= James Riddick Partington | title=A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder | publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press| year=1998 | id=ISBN 0801859549}}

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Revision as of 03:17, 9 April 2006

Smokeless powder

Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a propellant in firearms. Gunpowder is a low explosive. As it burns, a subsonic deflagration wave is produced rather than the supersonic detonation wave which high explosives produce. As a result, pressures generated inside a gun are sufficient to propel a bullet, but not sufficient to destroy the barrel. At the same time, this makes gunpowder less suitable for shattering rock or fortifications, applications where high explosives are preferred.

History and origins

A Mongol bomb thrown against a charging Japanese Samurai during the Mongol Invasions of Japan, 1281.

Gunpowder is considered one of the Four Great Inventions of the Chinese, though in fact it is not known whether it was first invented in China.

The first type of gunpowder was black powder. Neither its inventors nor exact date of creation is known. Historians of various cultures have postulated that it was invented between the seventh or ninth centuries by either the Chinese or the Arabs. In the West, Roger Bacon was the first to describe the formula for gunpowder on the ground of a passage in his On Marvelous Power of Art and Nature in 1242, leading many in the ensuing centuries to the mistaken belief that Bacon invented gunpowder -- even though Bacon himself mentioned that gunpowder was known in diverse places (see Opus tertium, by order of Pope Clement IV in 1266). It is also possible that black powder was invented independently by more than one culture at around the same time. As James Partington states in A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder:

Gunpowder is not, of course, an 'invention' in the modern sense, the product of a single time and place; no individual's name can be attached to it, nor can that of any single nation or region. Fire is one of the primordial forces of nature, and incendiary weapons have had a place in armies' toolkits for almost as long as civilized states have made war.

Regardless of origin, gunpowder was the first chemical propellant and the first explosive recorded in history.

The Arabs are generally credited with being the first to purify gunpowder to contain almost no sodium nitrate (only potassium nitrate) and to have a high enough quality to use effectively as a combat explosive. By the 15th century they had invented both a rocket and torpedo, both spear-tipped. The spear would lodge into a boat or other large surface and then the explosives would detonate as the propellant burned out.

Composition, characteristics and use

Black powder is a mixture of saltpeter (potassium nitrate or, less frequently, sodium nitrate), sulphur and charcoal with a ratio (by weight) of approximately 15:3:2 respectively. The ratio has altered over the centuries of its use, and can be altered somewhat depending on the purpose of the powder. Unlike smokeless propellants, it acts more like an explosive since its burn rate is not affected by pressure, but it is a very poor explosive because it has a very slow decomposition rate and therefore a very low brisance. This same property that makes it a poor explosive makes it useful as a propellant — the lack of brisance keeps the black powder from shattering the barrel, and directs the energy to propelling the bullet. Historically, potassium nitrate was extracted from manure by a process superficially similar to composting. Nitre beds took about a year to produce crystallized potassium nitrate.

The main disadvantages of black powder are a relatively low energy density (compared to modern smokeless powders) and the extremely large quantities of soot left behind. During the combustion process, less than half of black powder is converted to gas. The rest ends up as a thick layer of soot inside the barrel and a dense cloud of white smoke. In addition to being a nuisance, the residue in the barrel is hydrophilic and an anhydrous caustic substance. When moisture from the air is absorbed, the potassium oxide or sodium oxide turn into hydroxides, which will corrode wrought iron or steel gun barrels. Black powder arms must be well cleaned inside and out after firing to remove the residue. The thick smoke of black powder is also a disadvantage, as it can quickly become so opaque as to impair aiming.

The size of the granules of powder and the confinement determine the burn rate of black powder. Finer grains result in a closer mix of the ingredients, which results in a faster burn. Tight confinement in the barrel causes a column of black powder to explode, which is the desired result. Not seating the bullet firmly against the powder column can result in a harmonic shockwave, which can create a dangerous over-pressure condition and damage the gun barrel. One of the advantages of black powder is that precise loading of the charge is not as vital as with smokeless powder firearms and is carried out using volumetric measures rather than precise weight. However, overloading causing damage to a gun and its shooter is still possible. The lack of pressure sensitivity means that the mass of the bullet makes little or no difference to the amount of powder used. A full charge of black powder seated by just a small wad of paper, with no bullet, will still burn just as quickly as if it had a full weight bullet in front of it. This makes black powder well suited for blank rounds, signal flares, and rescue line launches.

See also

External links and references

  • James Riddick Partington (1998). A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0801859549.
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