FUZING

COLOR

CONTENTS

TAIL NO.

OVERALL LENGTH

WIDTH ACROSS FLATS

TAIL LENGTH

TAIL DIAMETER

TOTAL WEIGHT

DESCRIPTION:

The cluster comprises twenty-six 20 lb. Frag bombs arranged in two faggots of thirteen. The bombs are held in place by a front end plate and a rear end plate, a top beam and a bottom beam, side plates which overlap each other, end tensioning straps and a retaining bar which hold the components together. The bombs are completely en-closed. Lateral pins on the retaining bar engage tabs forming part of shoes attache to the ends of the tensioning straps. A shear wire passes through the rotaring bar and a bridge on the top beam. A channel secured to the rear end plate supports a fuze adap-ter, the outer end of which is closed by a transit plug and leather washer. Inside the adapter is a piston through which is a pin to engage the lower end of a pivoted lever. The fuze adapter and piston are slotted to receive the lower end of the lever. The lever can be seen passing into the fuze adapter. Links connect the upper end of the lever to a downwardly projecting plate welded to the retaining bar. The rear end plate has two dowels for locating the tail in position, and a nut welded to the center of the plate, to receive one end of a tail tie rod when the tail unit is fitted to the cluster. The front end plate has two dowels for locating either a bluff nose fairing or a streamlined nose fairing in position, and a nut welded to the center of the plate to receice the se-curing stud off the bluff nose fairing, or the tie rod of the streamline fairing. The bluff nose fairing is fitted to the cluster if it is to be carried internally in an aircraft. The streamlined nose fairing consists of a hollow metall dome, the base of which is partly covered by an end plate welded to the dome, and is to be fitted to the cluster when carried externally on an aircraft.

TAIL UNIT:

The No. 63 Mk I tail unit consists of a tail cone, having an approximately octagonal base and a tail drum secured to the con by six drum supports. The tail unit has an arm-ing spindle mounted in bearings and having a fork at its inner end and an arming vane at its outer end. Two inspection windows in the tail cone are provided to enable the armorer to watch the fork of the arming spindle when fitting the tail unit to a cluster fuzed with a No. 856 tail fuze. The No, 63, Mk I tail is only used when the cluster is carried internally in an aircraft. The No. 63, Mk II tail is similar to the Mk I except that it is generally strengthened and has seven tail drum supports as compared with the six of the No. 63, Mk I tail, and is to be used when the cluster is carried externally on the aircraft.

SUSPENSION:

A British type suspension lug is fitted to the top beam and tapped holes in the top beam are provided for fitting American type lugs.

FUNCTIONING:

When the fuzed cluster projectile is released, the fuze is functioned and, after a period of delay during which the cluster falls freely, the fuze magazine is fired. The pro-ducts of combustion of the magazone charge force the piston in the fuze adapter against the lower end of the pivoted lever which is thus rocked about its pivot and exerts a pull on the retaining bar of the cluster. The pull breaks the shear wire passing through the retaining bar and moves the bar so that its pins disengage the tabs on the tensioning straps. The straps then fly outwards and the cluster disintegrates, its com-ponent parts falling away separately. The individual bombs descend, supported by their parachute, and function in the normal manner.