Shrapnel


Shrapnel , originally a type of antipersonnel projectile named for its inventor, Henry Shrapnel — , an English artillery officer.

MARINE HIT BY SHRAPNEL IN AFGHANISTAN

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. The resulting hail of high-velocity debris was often lethal; shrapnel caused the majority of artillery-inflicted wounds in World War I. The term shrapnel continued to be used to designate the shell-casing fragments.

Shrapnel shell

Before explosive projectiles were used, the purposes of shrapnel were served by charging a cannon with small iron balls, called grapeshot q. We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.

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Shrapnel may refer to: Contents. 1 Military; 2 Popular culture. Comics; Fictional characters; Movies; Music. 3 People with the surname; 4 See also. Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery . The final shrapnel shell design, adopted in the s, bore little similarity to Henry Shrapnel's original design.

Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Oct 31, See Article History.

shrapnel (n.)

Learn More in these related Britannica articles: Projectile, powder, and fuze. For example, the shrapnel shell, as introduced in the s by the Englishman Henry Shrapnel , was a spherical shell packed with a small charge of black powder and a number of musket balls. The powder, ignited by a simple fuze, opened the shell over concentrations of enemy troops,….

Shell , variously, an artillery projectile, a cartridge case, or a shotgun cartridge.

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The artillery shell was in use by the 15th century, at first as a simple container for metal or stone shot, which was dispersed by the bursting of the container after leaving the gun. Explosive shells came into…. Grapeshot , cannon charge consisting of small round balls, usually of lead or iron, and used primarily as an antipersonnel weapon. More Definitions for shrapnel.

shrapnel | Definition of shrapnel in English by Oxford Dictionaries

See the full definition for shrapnel in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Words that rhyme with shrapnel. Translation of shrapnel for Spanish Speakers.

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Shrapnel from the explosion wounded many people. Recent Examples on the Web The blast from a mid-air engine explosion on Southwest Flight sent shrapnel tearing through one of the plane's windows, causing the cabin to lose pressure. This is my lane. Here are the 17 who survived the Florida school shooting," 8 Mar.