FUZING

COLOR

CONTENTS

OVERALL LENGTH

DIAMETER

TOTAL WEIGHT

DESCRIPTION:

The cluster projectiles consists of the following main components: the flare support-ing unit, heavy nose, half securing bands, and the hooded flares. The flare supporting unit consists of a square cast iron plate (on which is painted a narrow white alignment strip), and a steel tube to which is welded a suspension web. The rear end of the tube is flanged and 4 equi-spaced pins are riveted to the flange. External threads on the fuze housing receive the plate securing ring which secures the plate to the tube. The tube is also internally threaded at the nose end to receive the fuze and a centrally dril-led separating plug.

Four flash channels are drilled through the walls of the fuze housing immediately above the separating plug. Four flash tubes lead from these flash channels to the four equi-spaced holes in the plate drilled to receive the flare igniters. The piston, flanged at the protruding tail end, is housed in the tube and retained in position at the nose end by two shear pins. A space between the nose end of the piston and the centrally drilled separating plug forms a burster chamber which is filled with a small fabric bag containing 80 grams of gunpowder when the cluster is fuzed. The heavy cast iron nose, on which is painted a white alignment strip, and to which the flare supporting unit is bolted, is slotted to receive the flash tubes and the No. 80 fuze. The nose end plate is retained in position by the fuze. The four flares are fitted with special igniters instead of fuzes, and are retained in position in the cluster by half securing bands, the igniters being loacted in the drilled holes in the plate.

The four half securing bands of the flare securing unit are seated on the flange and each is retained in position by a socket welded to the outside of the band engaging with a corresponding dowel pin. The sockets are covered by metal bridges in which are cut horizontal slots to receive the flange of the piston. This prevents premature dis-placement of the flares. The four remaining half securing bands are placed in position round the flares and bolted to the other half bands. A cruciform distance piece is bolted to the tail end of the piston.

FUNCTIONING:

On release from the aircraft the cluster falls in a normal manner until the fuze func-tions. The flash from the detonator of the fuze magazine passes through the flash can-nels and the flash tube to function the igniters and through the separating plug to the burster charge. The explosion of the burster charge forces the piston towards the tail end of the cluster to sever the shear pins and to lift the half securing bands off the dowel pins by means of the flange of the piston engaging in the bridges. The four flares are thus lifted off the plate of the flare supporting unit and a 3 second delay in the flare igniters allows the cluster to disintegrate befor the flares function.