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time fuze

ignition device
Also known as: time fuse

Quick Summary

A time fuze is an ignition device used in military projectiles that detonates an explosive charge after a predetermined interval has passed. These fuzes were developed to burst shrapnel shells over ground forces at a specific point in their trajectory.12

Initially, time fuzes used trains of gunpowder. Later, clockwork mechanisms were developed to improve accuracy and reduce susceptibility to atmospheric variations. During World War I, time fuzes were adapted for anti-aircraft shells, though they initially proved unreliable at high altitudes. By World War II, electronic time fuzes, replacing mechanical clockwork, became more accurate and easier to set.23

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