‘Container-dent Sensitivity’ of Solid Explosives

Abstract

WHEN explosions result from rough handling of bomb-type ammunition, they generally must be ascribed to accidental fuse action; because, with fuses generally present, alternative explanations appear less reasonable. But during the War there have been some explosions of items of bomb-type ammunition where (with partial detonations) fuses were recovered intact, and other cases where bomb-type ammunition items were exploded without any fuses in them. The impacts which resulted in these explosions were caused by only relatively light bumping, or by the items falling from heights ranging from 4 in. up to 4–5 ft.; and they were too slight to have caused rupture or more than mere dents.