Delay

The delay elements within impact fuzes consist either of slow-burning powder pellets of fixed size or pellets in which varying lengths burn before the action takes place. The delay element is designed to allow penetration of targets before bursting of the projec-tile. Delays are always used in armor-piercing projectiles to obtain complete penetration before detonation. Instantaneous fuzes are employed against light armor or material tar-gets for burst before penetration.