Conclusion

In the course of this article, we have come across various facets of the world of pyrotechnics, enabling us to appreciate its scope, richness and vitality. However, there are many highly specific applications that have not been covered here, due to lack of space, such as avalanche triggering, hot mass blasting to unblock a blast furnace, hollow charges for oil drilling, which must remain stable at the high temperatures encountered in the earth's mantle, or missile hunting in a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SNLE).

The sheer variety of pyrotechnics is a humbling experience, as it seems impossible to be a specialist in the entire world of pyrotechnics. So it's important to get to grips with the specifics of the particular field in which you're working, before attempting any invention which, if mismanaged, could have disastrous consequences for people...