Editing Detonator (section)

== Types ==

Ordinary detonators usually take the form of ignition-based explosives. While  they are mainly used in commercial operations, ordinary detonators are still used in military operations. This form of detonator is most commonly initiated using a [[safety fuse]], and used in non time-critical detonations e.g. [[Bomb disposal#UXO|conventional munitions disposal]]. Well known detonators are [[Lead(II) azide|lead azide]] [Pb(N<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>], [[silver azide]] [AgN<sub>3</sub>] and [[Mercury(II) fulminate|mercury fulminate]] [Hg(ONC)<sub>2</sub>].

There are three categories of electrical detonators: instantaneous electrical detonators (IED), short period delay detonators (SPD) and long period delay detonators (LPD). SPDs are measured in milliseconds and LPDs are measured in seconds. In situations where nanosecond accuracy is required, specifically in the implosion charges in [[nuclear weapon]]s, [[exploding-bridgewire detonator]]s are employed. The initial shock wave is created by vaporizing a length of a thin wire by an [[electric discharge]]. A new development is a [[slapper detonator]], which uses thin plates accelerated by an electrically exploded wire or foil to deliver the initial shock. It is in use in some modern weapons systems. A variant of this concept is used in mining operations, when the foil is exploded by a [[laser]] pulse delivered to the foil by [[optical fiber]].

<gallery>
File:Trimming platinum wires at Hercules Port Ewen plant 2012 017 b2f37 gb19f642h.tiff | Trimming platinum wires for use in blasting caps, 1955
File:Dorothy Locke Production of blasting caps 2012 017 b2f37 x346d4806.tiff |Production of blasting caps, [[Hercules Inc.|Hercules Powder Company]], 1955
File:Insertion of plug and bridge wire into electric blasting caps 2012 017 b2f37 8623hz26t.tiff | Inserting plug and bridge wire into electric blasting caps, 1955
</gallery>

A non-electric detonator is a shock tube detonator designed to initiate explosions, generally for the purpose of demolition of buildings and for use in the blasting of rock in mines and quarries. Instead of electric wires, a hollow plastic tube delivers the firing impulse to the detonator, making it immune to most of the hazards associated with stray electric current. It consists of a small diameter, three-layer plastic tube coated on the innermost wall with a reactive explosive compound, which, when ignited, propagates a low energy signal, similar to a dust explosion. The reaction travels at approximately 6,500&nbsp;ft/s (2,000&nbsp;m/s) along the length of the tubing with minimal disturbance outside of the tube. Non-electric detonators were invented by the Swedish company Nitro Nobel in the 1960s and 1970s, and launched to the demolitions market in 1973.

In civil mining, electronic detonators have a better precision for delays. Electronic detonators are designed to provide the precise control necessary to produce accurate and consistent blasting results in a variety of blasting applications in the mining, quarrying, and construction industries. Electronic detonators may be programmed in millisecond or sub-millisecond increments using a dedicated programming device.

Wireless electronic detonators are beginning to be available in the civil mining market.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oricaminingservices.com/us/en/page/products_and_services/electronic_blasting_systems/webgen/improving_safety_and_productivity|title=Improving safety and productivity|website=www.oricaminingservices.com|access-date=2019-05-16}}</ref> Encrypted radio signals are used to communicate the blast signal to each detonator at the correct time. While currently expensive, wireless detonators can enable new mining techniques as multiple blasts can be loaded at once and fired in sequence without putting humans in harm's way.

A number 8 test blasting cap is one containing 2 grams of a mixture of 80 percent mercury fulminate and 20 percent potassium chlorate, or a blasting cap of equivalent strength. An equivalent strength cap comprises 0.40-0.45 grams of PETN base charge pressed in an aluminum shell with bottom thickness not to exceed to 0.03 of an inch, to a specific gravity of not less than 1.4 g/cc, and primed with standard weights of primer depending on the manufacturer.[https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/27/555.11]