Bridgewire

A bridgewire, bridge wire, or hot bridge wire (HBW) is a relatively thin resistance wire used to set off a pyrotechnic composition serving as pyrotechnic initiator. By passing of electric current it is heated to a high temperature that starts the exothermic chemical reaction of the attached composition. After successful firing, the bridgewire melts, resulting in an open circuit.

Usually a thin nichrome wire is used. Some applications also use platinum-silver alloy; other bridgewire materials in use are platinum, gold, silver, tungsten, etc. Care has to be taken when selecting the material as it is in direct contact with the pyrotechnic composition and should not undergo corrosion in such conditions. Another material, able to actively release chemical energy, is Pyrofuze, aluminium wire clad with palladium; when being heated it undergoes strongly exothermic reaction as the molten metals form an alloy. A variant with the same function consists of laminated thin alternate layers of aluminium and nickel. Carbon bridge is a thin spot of colloidal graphite used as the bridgewire. Some variants use a conductive pyrotechnic composition as the resistive material. In amateur rocketry, grossly overloaded low wattage metal film resistors and 0805 Surface-mount technology resistors are also used.

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