Fuse

Fuse, in artillery, a device to regulate the moment of bursting of a, shell or explosive charge.

Fuses are either "time" or "percussion," or combinations of the two. Time fuses are tubes filled with a composition which burns at a known speed. They are inserted into the explosive charge, and fired either by hand or, in the case of a shell, by the flash caused by the discharge of the gun. These fuses are generally marked externally, so that they can be set to burn for any desired number of seconds, or fractions of a, second. Percussion fuses are fired by the concussion of the impact of the projectiles "to which they are fitted, and they can be made to explode the charge either directly or by delayed action. Detonation may also be made to ignite the supply of explosive, in the case of shells. An electric fuse may be used and worked from a distant position if the explosive mass is stationary. A current of electricity is sent through a fine wire which is in contact with the charge, along wires leading from the operator. He can time the current at will, and, if sufficiently strong, it will bring the thin wire to white-heat and produce instant explosion.