Need for detonators[edit]

The need for detonators such as blasting caps came from the development of safer explosives. Different explosives
require different amounts of energy (their activation energy) to detonate. Most commercial explosives are formulated
with a high activation energy, to make them stable and safe to handle so they will not explode if accidentally dropped,
mishandled, or exposed to fire. These are called secondary explosives. However they are correspondingly difficult to
detonate intentionally, and require a small initiating explosion. This is provided by a detonator.
A detonator contains an easy-to-ignite primary explosive that provides the initial activation energy to start the
detonation in the main charge. Explosives commonly used in detonators include mercury fulminate, lead azide, lead
styphnate, tetryl, and DDNP. Blasting caps and some detonators are stored separately and not inserted into the main
explosive charge until just before use, keeping the main charge safe. Early blasting caps also used silver fulminate,
but it has been replaced with cheaper and safer primary explosives. Silver azide is still used sometimes, but very
rarely due to its high price.
Detonators are hazardous for untrained personnel to handle since they contain primary explosive. They are
sometimes not recognized as explosives due to their appearance, leading to injuries.

Types[edit]
Ordinary detonators[edit]
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 safety fuse, and used in non time-critical detonations e.g. conventional munitions disposal. Well known
detonators are lead azide, Pb(N3)2, silver azide (AgN3) and mercury fulminate [Hg(ONC)2].

Electrical detonators[edit]
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 weapons, exploding-bridgewire detonators 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 weapon
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.

Non electric detonators[edit]

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 ft/s (2,000 m/s) along the length of the tubing with minimal disturbance
outside of the tube. The design of Non electric detonators incorporates patented technology, including the Cushion
Disk (CD) and Delay Ignition Buffer (DIB) to provide reliability and accuracy in all blasting applications.[citation needed] Non
electric detonators was invented by the Swedish company Nitro Nobel in the 1960s and 1970s, under the leadership
of Per-Anders Persson, and launched to the demolitions market in 1973. (Nitro Nobel became a part of Dyno Nobel
after being sold to Norwegian Dyno Industrier AS in 1986.) Nonel is a contraction of "Non electric detonators".

Electronic detonators[edit]
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 1-millisecond
increments from 1 millisecond to 10,000 milliseconds using the dedicated programming device called the logger.
Benefits:
 100% verification of reliability of connections in initiation network.
10,000 ms with an increment of 1 ms. DigiShot delay range is up to 20,000 ms.[1]
Delay range of 110,000
Precision of 0.01% of nominal delay time.
Safe and reliable initiation of up to 1600 units in one blast per one blasting machine.
Unique ID in each detonator.
Multiple verification of detonators prior each blast.

Types of blasting caps[edit]

Pyrotechnic fuse blasting cap[edit]
The oldest and simplest type of cap, fuse caps are a metal cylinder, closed at one end. From the open end inwards,
there is first an empty space into which a pyrotechnic fuse is inserted and crimped, then a pyrotechnic ignition mix,
a primary explosive, and then the main detonating explosive charge.
The primary hazard of pyrotechnic blasting caps is that for proper usage, the fuse must be inserted and then crimped
into place by crushing the base of the cap around the fuse. If the tool used to crimp the cap is used too close to the
explosives, the primary explosive compound can detonate during crimping. A common hazardous practice is crimping
caps with one's teeth; an accidental detonation can cause serious injury to the mouth.
Fuse type blasting caps are still in active use today. They are the safest type to use around certain types of
electromagnetic interference, and they have a built in time delay as the fuse burns down.

Solid pack electric blasting cap[edit]

Solid pack electric blasting caps use a thin bridgewire in direct contact (hence solid pack) with a primary explosive,
which is heated by electric current and causes the detonation of the primary explosive. That primary explosive then
detonates a larger charge of secondary explosive.
Some solid pack fuses incorporate a small pyrotechnic delay element, up to a few hundred milliseconds, before the
cap fires.

Match or fusehead electric blasting cap[edit]