After serving in several African campaigns in the Chasseurs, Minié rose to the rank of captain. In 1849 he designed the Minié ball, a cylindrical bullet with a conical point. An iron cup was inserted in the hollow base so that when the ball was fired, the cup was forced forward, expanding the base to fit snugly against the rifling grooves.
The Minié ball produced lethally accurate fire at long ranges. It was almost universally adopted by the armies of Europe and the United States and was used throughout the American Civil War (1861–65). Minié was rewarded by the French government with 20,000 francs and an appointment to the staff of the military school at Vincennes. After retiring in 1858 with the rank of colonel, he served as a military instructor for the khedive of Egypt and as a manager at the Remington Arms Company in the United States.
shrapnel
Table of Contents
Home
Technology
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Science & Tech
shrapnel
weaponry
Actions
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Sep 16, 2023 • Article History
Table of Contents
Recent News
Sep. 15, 2023, 3:35 AM ET (Yahoo Finance)
Studio Behind AAA First-Person Shooter Shrapnel Unveils GameBridge, A Developer Platform For Seamlessly Onboarding Web3 Features Into Games
shrapnel, originally a type of antipersonnel projectile named for its inventor, Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), an English artillery officer. Shrapnel projectiles contained small shot or spherical bullets, usually of lead, along with an explosive charge to scatter the shot as well as fragments of the shell casing. A time fuze set off the explosive charge in the latter part of the shell’s flight, while it was near opposing troops. The resulting hail of high-velocity debris was often lethal; shrapnel caused the majority of artillery-inflicted wounds in World War I.
Category: Science & Tech
Key People: Henry Shrapnel
Related Topics: ammunition
See all related content →
During World War II it was found that a high-explosive bursting charge fragmented the shell’s iron casing so effectively that the use of shrapnel balls was unnecessary, and it thus was discontinued. The term shrapnel continued to be used to designate the shell-casing fragments. Before explosive projectiles were used, the purposes of shrapnel were served by charging a cannon with small iron balls, called grapeshot (q.v.), or with lengths of chain.
“Hello my name is” badge paper sticker (identification, name badge).
Britannica Quiz
Words Named After People Vocabulary Quiz
ammunition
Table of Contents
Home
Technology
Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Science & Tech
ammunition
Actions
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: Oct 4, 2023 • Article History
Table of Contents
Recent News
Oct. 4, 2023, 5:59 PM ET (AP)
What to do with 1.1 million bullets seized from Iran? US ships them to Ukraine
Sep. 26, 2023, 6:59 PM ET (AP)
California governor signs law raising taxes on guns and ammunition to pay for school safety
ammunition, the projectiles and propelling charges used in small arms, artillery, and other guns. Ammunition size is usually expressed in terms of calibre, which is the diameter of the projectile as measured in millimetres or inches. In general, projectiles less than 20 mm or .60 inch in diameter are classified as small-arm, and larger calibres are considered artillery. A complete round of ammunition consists of all the components necessary for one firing of the gun. These normally include a projectile, the propellant, and a primer that ignites the propellant. Other components such as cartridge case, fuze, and bursting charge are frequently included.