DESCRIPTION: Thise fuze is of the detonating type with a direct action of the floating striker type. (See fig. 569.)

The head of the fuze which screws on to the body is recessed at the front end to ac-commodate the hammer. The recess has a central hole through which is stem of the hammer passes and is closed against air pressure at the front by a cover plate. The hammer is aligned eith the striker in the fuze body.

The body is screw-threaded externally behind the flange for insertion into the projectile and has an internal left-hand screw-thread for the gaine. A channel is formed through the center of the body for the striker, the channel being of larger diameter at the front end to receive the head of the striker on functioning. A centrifugal hole, shaped to fit the stem of the striker below the enlarged head, is retained in the safe position in its slot by a detent carried in the body. A flash channel in the recess behind the powder pellet leads to another recess containing a primer held off a striker in the base of this recess by a spiral spring. A similar empty recess is diametrically opposite in the fuze body, and is probably intended to preserve the balance of the fuze and to divert some of the pressure produced by the functioning of the primer in the connected recess.

ACTION: On acceleration, the primer in the recess sets back against its spring and is pierced by the striker. The flash passes through the channel to the detent recess and ignites the gunpowder pellet thus depriving the detent of this support. Centrifugal force, set up by the rotation of the projectile and fuze, causes the centrifugal bolt to move out-wards, away from the striker head. During flight, creep action and protection from air pressure provided by the cover plate results in a forward movement of the hammer and striker. On impact, the striker is driven into the detonator by the hammer.

Figure 569 – A.Z. 150 Rh.S.