Editing Squib (explosive)

{{Short description|Small explosive device}}
{{For|the firearms malfunction|squib load}}

[[File:1-2 and 1 grain bullet hit squibs and polycarbonate shields.jpg|thumb|0.5 and 1 grain bullet hit squibs and solid polycarbonate backing shields to simulate a gunshot wound on an actor. A blood pack is to be built atop the squib.]]
[[File:Bullet hit squib assembly.jpg|thumb|A bullet hit squib assembly example to be attached to an actor's wardrobe.]]
[[File:Exploded_bullet_hit_squibs_on_an_actor_wearing_scrubs_(cropped).jpg|thumb|An actor behind-the-scenes with pre-scored "bullet holes" on his [[dead-character costume|costume]] and [[bullet hit squib|squibs]] blowing open [[fake blood]] packets for a [[gunshot wound]] stunt.]]
[[Image:MiG-21F heittoistuimen pyropatruunoita Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo.JPG|right|thumb|Pyrotechnic charges from ejector seat of MiG-21F-13 fighter in the Aviation Museum of Central Finland]]

A '''squib''' is a miniature [[explosive]] device used in a wide range of industries, from [[special effect]]s to [[military]] applications. It resembles a tiny stick of [[dynamite]], both in appearance and construction, but has considerably less explosive power. A squib consists of two electrical leads separated by a plug of insulating material; a small [[bridge wire]] or electrical resistance heater; and a bead of heat-sensitive chemical composition, in which the bridge wire is embedded.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thibodaux |first=J. G. |title=Special Rockets and Pyrotechnics Problems |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19620007196 |work=Langley Research Center |publisher=NTRS |date=July 1, 1961 |access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref>  They can be used to generate mechanical [[force]] to shatter or propel various materials; and for [[pyrotechnic]] effects for [[film]] and live [[theatrics]].<ref name=fc>{{cite web |url=http://www.fantasycreationsfx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=7&Itemid=26 |work=Fantasy Creations FX |title=Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions |archive-date=10 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710224508/http://www.fantasycreationsfx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=7&Itemid=26}}</ref>

A squib generally consists of a small tube filled with an explosive substance, with a [[detonator]] running through the length of its core, similar to a stick of dynamite. Also similar to dynamite, the detonator can be a slow-burning [[Fuse (explosives)|fuse]], or as is more common today, a [[wire]] connected to a remote [[electronics|electronic]] [[:wikt:trigger|trigger]].<ref name=ps>{{cite patent|country=US|number=5411225|pubdate=1995-05-02|title=Reusable non-pyrotechnic countermeasure dispenser cartridge for aircraft|inventor1-last=Lannon|inventor1-first=Robert G.|inventor2-last=Weldon|inventor2-first=William F.}}</ref> Squibs range in size from ~{{convert|2|to|15|mm|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} in diameter.<ref name=fc />

== Film industry ==
{{Main|Bullet hit squibs}}

In the film industry, the term ''squib'' often refers to [[electric match]]es and [[detonator]]s used to trigger larger pyrotechnics. They are generally (but not always) the main explosive element in an effect, and are often used in [[special effects]] to simulate bullet impacts on inanimate objects or actors.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fantasy Creations FX|date=|title=Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.fantasycreationsfx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=7&Itemid=26|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=}}</ref> [[Fake blood]] packets are typically coupled with squibs and attached to the [[stage clothes]] worn by actors, referred to as [[dead-character costume|dead-character costumes]], that burst through pre-made "bullet" holes to simulate the appearance of a person being shot and wounded. This creates a realistic and convincing visual effect for movies, TV shows, and stage performances.

==Automotive industry==
Squibs are used in [[emergency]] mechanisms where [[gas pressure]] needs to be generated quickly in confined spaces, while not harming any surrounding persons or mechanical parts. In this form, squibs may be called [[gas generator]]s. Two such mechanisms are the inflation of [[automobile]] [[air bags]] and [[seat belt#Pretensioners and webclamps|seat belt pretensioners]] which sometimes use pyrotechnic devices.

Pyro fuses are also used to disconnect the vehicle's power circuit. The pyro fuse is installed on the positive terminal of the battery and receives a signal from the vehicle's control unit in the event of an accident. During an accident, the pyrotechnic charge in the pyrofuse is triggered, which uses a piston to break the power circuit and de-energize the vehicle's battery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Пиропатрон АКБ или аварийный размыкатель цепи АКБ {{!}} Новости |url=https://hodovik.com/novosti/piropatron-akb-ili-avarijnyj-razmykatel-tsepi-akb.html |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=hodovik.com}}</ref>

In 2003, the European Commission adopted Directive 2000/53/EC<ref>{{Citation |title=Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (Text with EEA relevance) |date=2003-10-13 |volume=275 |url=http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/87/oj/eng |access-date=2024-07-05 |language=en}}</ref> on end-of-life vehicles (ELV Directive). This measure was introduced to prevent potential fires that may occur due to battery damage during an accident. Battery pyro-fuses ensure instant power disconnection, minimizing the risk of short circuits and fires

==Other uses==
Squibs are also used in automatic [[fire extinguisher]]s, to pierce seals that retain liquids such as [[Halomethane|halon]], [[fluorocarbon]], or [[liquid nitrogen]].

==History==
Squibs were originally made from [[parchment]] tubes, or the shaft of a [[feather]], and filled with fine [[black powder]]. They were then sealed at the ends with wax. They were sometimes used to ignite the main propellant charge in a [[cannon]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Calvert |first=James B. |title=Cannons and Gunpowder |url=http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/cannon.htm |publisher=[[University of Denver]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701172502/http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/cannon.htm |archive-date=2007-07-01 }}</ref>

Squibs were once used in [[coal mining]] to break coal away from [[rock (geology)|rock]].  In the 1870s, some versions of the device were patented and mass-produced as "Miners' Safety Squibs".<ref>{{cite book |last=Wallace |first=Anthony F. C. |year=1988 |title=St. Clair, a nineteenth-century coal town's experience with a disaster-prone industry |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-9900-5 |page=50 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fqyj_xAmOsC }}</ref>

=== The famous "Squib Case" ===
Squibs are mentioned in the prominent [[tort]] case from eighteenth-century England, ''[[Scott v Shepherd|Scott v. Shepherd]]'', 96 Eng. Rep. 525 (K.B. 1773). A lit squib was thrown into a crowded market by Shepherd and landed on the table of a gingerbread merchant. A bystander, to protect himself and the gingerbread, threw the squib across the market, where it landed in the goods of another merchant. The merchant grabbed the squib and tossed it away, accidentally hitting a man in the face, putting out one of his eyes.

=== Squibs in films ===
The first documented use of squibs to simulate bullet impacts in cinema was in the 1943 US war film ''[[Bataan (film)|Bataan]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bender |first=Stuart Marshall |date=2014-01-01 |title=Blood Splats and Bodily Collapse: Reported Realism and the Perception of Violence in Combat Films and Video Games |url=http://berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/projections/8/2/proj080202.xml |journal=Projections |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.3167/proj.2014.080202 |issn=1934-9688|hdl=20.500.11937/3029 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

Other early films using squibs include the 1955 Polish film ''[[Pokolenie]]'' by [[Andrzej Wajda]], where for the first time audiences were presented with a realistic representation of a bullet impacting on an on-camera human being, complete with blood spatter. The creator of the effect, [[Kazimierz Kutz]], used a [[condom]] with fake blood and dynamite.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,75475,3197176.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603131345/http://wyborcza.pl/1,75475,3197176.html |archive-date=2012-06-03 |title=Pokolenie |work=Gazeta Wyborcza |date=2008}}</ref>

However, the American [[Western (genre)|western]], ''[[River of No Return#Production|River of No Return]]'', filmed in 1953 and released in 1954, used a blood squib to simulate realistic bullet impact in the story's climax, when the story's antagonist is shot dead{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}. As such, this film precedes ''[[Run of the Arrow]]'' (1957) – often credited with being the first to use blood squibs – by three years, and ''Pokolenie'' by one.

=== Origin of the phrase "damp squib" ===
{{anchor|damp squib}} <!-- used in redirects and outside links -->
{{wiktionarypar|damp squib}}
While most modern squibs used by professionals are insulated from moisture, older uninsulated squibs needed to be kept dry in order to ignite, thus a "damp squib" was literally one that failed to perform because it got wet. Often [[Eggcorn|misheard]] as "damp squid",<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4799157/Damp-Squid-The-top-10-misquoted-phrases-in-Britain.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=Damp Squid: The top 10 misquoted phrases in Britain | date=24 February 2009}}</ref> the phrase "damp squib" has since come into general use to mean anything that fails to meet expectations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of damp squib |url=http://www.allwords.com/word-damp%20squib.html |work=Allwords.com }}</ref> The word "squib" has come to take on a similar meaning even when used alone, as a diminutive comparison to a full explosive.<ref>{{cite web |title=squib: Definitions, Synonyms |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/squib |work=Answers.com }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Firecracker]]
* [[Bullet hit squib]]
* [[Dead-character costume]]
* [[Pyrotechnics]]

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Squib (Explosive)}}
[[Category:Explosives]]
[[Category:Pyrotechnics]]