Now we come to another very interesting part of my threads. The grenade fuses!
I'll begin with a fuse for a german Leichter Minenwerfer 77 mm.
This is the LWMZ 16 (Leichter Wurfminenzünder 16 = light mortar mine fuse). It is some kind of double-fuse. A percussion fuse (Aufschlagzünder) and a burning time-fuse (Brennzünder) which could be set on the ring with the numbers (representing the seconds) and with a special tool (Zünderstellschlüssel).
The function was as follows:
A safety charge was ignited by shooting the grenade/mine. A striking pin was driven in a blasting cap by the centrifugal force and ignited the safety charge. After this charge was burned out (after about 0,5 seconds, preventing the grenade/mine to explode inside the barrel by accident) it lightened the time fuse charge. This was some kind of slow-burning black powder and this charge, disrupted by the numbered ring, let the grenade explode after the set time. This setting was used for shrapnell-grenades. HE-or gas-grenades always used the percussion setting or a simple percussion fuse.
This item is the "bad" thing on a grenade. Without the fuse there is no BOOOM. Only a BLUB when the grenades disappeares in the ground without exploding. These fuses are beautiful, always well made and with many parts or completely in brass. Think about the fine mechanical function of this masterpiece of craftmanship. But even with these elaborate fuses up to 20 % of all grenades in WWI were duds!
I'll begin with a fuse for a german Leichter Minenwerfer 77 mm.
This is the LWMZ 16 (Leichter Wurfminenzünder 16 = light mortar mine fuse). It is some kind of double-fuse. A percussion fuse (Aufschlagzünder) and a burning time-fuse (Brennzünder) which could be set on the ring with the numbers (representing the seconds) and with a special tool (Zünderstellschlüssel).
The function was as follows:
A safety charge was ignited by shooting the grenade/mine. A striking pin was driven in a blasting cap by the centrifugal force and ignited the safety charge. After this charge was burned out (after about 0,5 seconds, preventing the grenade/mine to explode inside the barrel by accident) it lightened the time fuse charge. This was some kind of slow-burning black powder and this charge, disrupted by the numbered ring, let the grenade explode after the set time. This setting was used for shrapnell-grenades. HE-or gas-grenades always used the percussion setting or a simple percussion fuse.
This item is the "bad" thing on a grenade. Without the fuse there is no BOOOM. Only a BLUB when the grenades disappeares in the ground without exploding. These fuses are beautiful, always well made and with many parts or completely in brass. Think about the fine mechanical function of this masterpiece of craftmanship. But even with these elaborate fuses up to 20 % of all grenades in WWI were duds!
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