Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 91.djvu/208

 �The Time Fuse and How It Works

��The number of feet, yards or miles which the projectile is to travel can be accurately- gaged by simply turning the time ring

��By Reginald Trautschold, M.E.

��The time fuse forms the tip of the nose of the projectile. It is in five parts: the body proper, its cap, and the top, bottom and time rings. Fitted between the cap and the body is a time pellet held in place by a stiff stirrup with bent- over ears and con- taining a detonator of highly explosive material. Under the time pellet is the fuse needle

��FLASH HOLE POWDER SHAFT. POWDER CHANNEL POWDER STICK BOTTOM RING POWDER CHANNEL POWDER TRAIN POWDER STICK FELT GASKET POWDER STICK BOWDER MAGAZINE

BASE PLUG

���POWDER POCKET

��BASE PLU(

WASHER

DETONATOR FOR PERCUSSION FUSE

��TIME PELLET

��TOP RING

PERCUSSION FERRULE

powder channel powder train

Bottom ring detonator spring fowder channel time ring

BODY

ERCUSSION MECH ANISM HOLDER STIRRUP SPRING FOR PERCUSSION PELLET CAP FOR PER- CUSSION HOLDER SCREW PLUG FOR BASE PERCUSSION PELLET

��YOU have read in the war dispatches that the "troops advanced under a curtain of fire." What does that mean? Simply that a barrage of bursting shells, hurled over the advancing men into the enemy's lines, forms a protective screen. In order that this curtain of fire may be a real protection, however, and not a terrible menace, it is absolutely essential that the men who fire the guns should have precise control of the point at which the shrapnel or high-explosive shells are to break. It is easy enough to imagine the demoralization within the advancing lines if the men had to fear bombardment from the rear as well as the enemy's fire.

That danger has been practically elimi- nated by the perfection of the time fuse. By simply adjusting the time ring of the fuse the gunner can predetermine the exact point — be it feet or miles from the muzzle of the gun — at which the projectile is to do its deadly work. Shrapnel, and the even uglier high-explosive shells, may be exploded if desired within a hundred yards from the muzzle of the gun, notwithstand- ing the fact that the projectiles start on their mission of destruction at the rate of

��about 1,350 miles per hour. On the other hand, they may be sent whirling through space for miles. It all depends upon the adjustment of the simple little time ring of the fuse.

The time fuse is an ingenious little mechanism which forms the tip of the nose of the projectile. It contains a time pellet and a detonator of highly explosive ma- terial.

On leaving the muzzle of the gun, the projectile, traveling at a speed of close to 2,000 feet per second, is literally shot away from the time pellet, the bent-over ears of the stirrup which held it in place are straightened out and the fuse needle is driven forcibly into the detonator. The resulting flash passes through the flash hole in the body and ignites the mealed powder in the powder shaft of the top ring. This ignites the train of powder contained in the circumscribing powder train. From the powder channel in the top ring a similar powder train in the lower ring is ignited through a connecting hollow black powder stick. From the second powder channel, the flash is transmitted to the powder magazine in the base of the time fuse,

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