🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan8.010401.6096@cis.ohio-state.edu> rubin@skiing.cis.ohio-state.edu (Daniel Rubin) writes:
>
>I think comparing expanding gases or fluff or whatever in a flywheel and 
>that of gunpowder in a gun barrel is not justified.  The gasses released
>from black powder in a gun barrel act to push an object to "mach 1" or
>whatever speed was posted earlier in ONE direction.  You cannot compare this
>to gas or whatever explaning in 3-D space.  I pile of black powder won't move
>an object placed on top of it at all or a very small amount, probably 1/100000
>the acceleration of it in a barrel.  That actally turns out to be a great
>example. In a previous post it was said that 7 grains of black powder can
>push a bullet to mach 1.  That may be true IN A GUN BARREL.  Take 1 pound of
>black powder and place it on the ground and put a bullet on top of the pile.
>Light the pile and you get a lot of fire and heat and the bullet will most
>likely not even budge, just get really hot!  I wish I could include the 
>amount of hot gasses released from a pound of black powder as compared to 
>7 grains, but I can't and the ratio between 7 grains and 1 pound should
>describe the situation well enough...

I urge you not to try this experiment at home. Blackpowder is a primary
explosive rather than a flamable solid. It can explode *unconfined*
when ignited in amounts of 1 pound or more. That explosion will be more
intense than that of a similar amount of dynamite, which will also 
explode unconfined. To dispose of blackpowder safely by burning, you
must spread it thinly along the ground in trains and ignite only one
end, allowing it to burn *slowly* with the heat rapidly conducted away
by the large mass of air to which it is exposed.

Gary
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