Fuse and charge for mortar shell - has sprung firing pin and primer drum with angled hole leading to detonator with foil seal

摘要

The mortar shell has a nose cap with a spring loaded firing pin, fixed into the body of the shell. This is sealed into the base (2) containing the priming device. This primer is a drum with an angled hole (13) leading to a detonator (10) positioned above a wafer (12) which fires the lower charge (9). When the pin ignites fuse and detonator, this latter must rupture a foil seal (17) before it can ignite the lower charge. The seal prevents hot gases reaching the wafer and inadvertently igniting it when two shells are double fed, one on top of the other.