Improvements in Fuses for Explosive Shells and Torpedoes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in Fuses for Explosive Shells and Torpedoes.
I, EDMUND LOUIS ZALINSKI, Lieutenant, United States Army, at present
residing in Washington, in the District of Columbia, and United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This is an improvement on my former patent No. 2826, dated March 3rd 1885,
and consists in the arrangement of an electric battery in a shell or torpedo, by
which the charge is exploded, and in the mechanism by which the electric battery
is held in safety until the desired time for firing, and in the method by which it
is made to explode, either on contact, or as a time fuse, or by immersion in the
water. This fuse is specially intended for use with dynamite and similar high
explosive shells, but may be used with any explosive shell.
In the drawings-
Figure, 1, is a central longitudinal section of a shell having an electric fuse and
safety connections.
Figure, 2, is a central longitudinal section of an electric shell fuse, containing
wet and dry battery, and having electric connection to the detonator, the point
only of the shell being shown.
Figure, 3, is an end view of same.
Figure, 4, is a broken section of the shell, showing the safety circuit breaker.
Figure, 5, is a longitudinal section of a projectile intended to be exploded by
immersion in the water.
Figure, 6, is a section of part of a projectile and its electric fuse, the latter
having a time attachment.
A, indicates the body of the projectile, of any known form, and having a charge
chamber, A. B, designates the electric fuse, which is shown in figure, 2, in the
point of the shell, but may be in the base or any other part. The electric battery
in said fuse is connected by an electric circuit with a detonating charge, C, pre-
ferably at the base of the shell. The fuse, B, contains an electric battery, D, of
small size. This battery is put up with the chemical sensitizing agent in a dry
מ'

page_text: state, and is made active by moisture. The battery, D, has a penetrating point E,
and is enclosed in a strong steel tube, F, which tube, F, is held in fuse case, G, by
pins, H. The battery, D, has a projecting stem, I, a little longer than the tube, F.
A plunger, L, preferably of lead, is placed in the fuse case below the battery, D,
and a rubber diaphragm, M, is interposed. The fuse case is lined with rubber or
a similar non-conductor, N, for a part of its length, and the plunger, L, lies between
the wires, O, which are united and lead to the detonator, C. A non-conducting
ring, Q, is interposed between the plunger, L, and the battery, D. Battery, D, has
sharp prongs or fins, R R, which prevent it from moving toward the outer end of
tube, F, when it is once driven in. The battery, D, is made sensitive by wetting
the contents before it is placed in the fuse. Outside the tube, F, there is a second
battery, S, which is intended to be kept dry until the projectile is fired.
This battery, S, also connects with the detonator, C, by the wire, T. The
detonator, C, may be the common electric primer for guns, having a fulminate
charge surrounding a platinum bridge. Suppose the fuse to be in the point of the
shell, A, and the battery, S, in position shown in figure, 2, but the battery D, just
entered in the front of tube, F, as shown in dotted lines.
When the shell is fired from a gun, the shock of discharge will drive the
battery, D, into the position shown in full lines.
It will also set back the plunger, L, as far as possible, between the wires, O.
Now the point, E, of the battery does not quite touch the rubber diaphragm, M,
but if the progress of the projectile be retarded, as by its striking the sea, the
plunger, L, will be thrown forward until the point, E, passing through the rubber
diaphragm, M, strikes the plunger, L. As this plunger is in contact with the
wires, O, which connects to the detonator, and the circuit is complete through
the wires, U, and, V, to the body of the shell, A, which is also in metallic circuit
with battery, D, this closing of circuit will fire the detonator.
The little time taken by the plunger, L, in moving forward gives a short
interval for the projectile to enter the water, and this interval of time may be
made longer by increasing the length of the fuse case, G, so that the plunger will
have further to move. Should the point of the projectile strike a solid target as
an armored vessel, the tube, F, will be driven in, carrying battery, D, with it, and
the electric circuit will be closed and the shell exploded before the real point of
the projectile strikes the target. It is very important in firing dynamite shells,
that the explosion should take place from the rear of the charge, and if it be
against a solid target that the detonation shall take place by means of the
detonator, and not from simple concussion, as the concussion produces a much less
powerful explosion than that caused by a powerful detonator.
Should the battery, D, by any mischance, fail to explode the projectile, if it falls
into the water a quantity of water will reach the dry battery, S, and when this
battery becomes active it will close circuit through wire, T, and the other con-
nections to the detonator. To avoid accidents, such as the bursting of a charge
of dynamite in the gun, I provide a circuit breaking apparatus, as follows:-The
wires, O, and, T, are insulated, and a further part of their circuit is the insulated
wire, U. This wire, U, connects with a plunger, 1, which is in a casing, 2, but
insulated therefrom. The plunger, 1, has a head, 3, which is pressed forward by
spring, 4. A metallic ring or plate, 5, in the casing, 2, has the wire, V, connected
to it. The casing, 2, is screwed into the outer wall of the shell, and an insulated
pin, 6, enters said casing from the outside. When the projectile is entered into
the bore of the gun, the walls of the gun will press in this pin, 6, thus breaking
the electric circuit between the head, 3, and plate, 5. As soon as the projectile
gets out from the muzzle of the gun, the spring, 4, will push out pin, 6, and bring
plates, 3, and, 5, in contact, thus closing electric circuit from wire, U, to wire, V.
Wire, V, which is insulated leads to the vicinity of pin, 10, but is kept from
contact or from metallic connection with the walls of the shell, until said pin, 10,
is inserted or screwed into place, when the circuit is closed to the casing or wall
of the shell, and as the metallic connection from the shell body is complete, it

page_text: follows that when pin, 6, is forced out and pin, 10, pressed in, the electric circuit
from the battery, D, through the detonator is only broken between the battery and
plunger, and this is closed quickly when the projectile strikes a solid target, or slowly
when it strikes a somewhat yielding target, as has been explained. When the
projectile is being handled, the pin, 10, is left out. As soon as the projectile is
ready to load into the gun, the battery, D, having been inserted, the pin, 10, may
be put in place, but if pin, 6, be pressed in, either by hand or by the wall of the
gun, the electric circuit will still be broken. Should the battery or plunger be
displaced by the shock of firing, or should absorb moisture and become sensitive
while in the gun, the circuit could not be closed to fire the charge until the
projectile leaves the muzzle of the gun so that pin, 6, can be pressed out by the
spring, 4. The projectile, figure, 5, is fired by a dry battery, S¹, alone. This
battery is placed in a recess in the shell, its wires forming circuit through a
detonator, C. The battery is protected by a spring cover, 12, which flies open as
the projectile leaves the gun, and permits water to enter if the projectile falls into
the sea.
The circuit breakers may be readily applied to one of the wires, as in the
former case.
The cover to the dry battery, when such is used at the rear of the
shell, may be a plug, 20, (see figure, 6,) held in position by pins, 19. When the gun
is fired the pressure against the base of this plug will shear off the pins, 19. The
spring, 23, pressing out the piston, 24, and rod, 25, will then expel the cover, 20,
and gradually bring the battery elements in contact.
One of these elements is connected to wire, 21, and the other to wire, 22. The
insulated piston, 24, is retarded in its movements by the air or a liquid in front of
it, which must be forced through a small aperture in the partition, 26, before the
piston head, 24, can reach said partition. The contact of the piston head with
this partition closes the electric circuit through wires, 21, and, 22, and through the
detonator, C³.
A small aperture, 28, may be made in the end of battery, S³, so that water
will be admitted slowly to the battery. This aperture may be closed with a gum
soluble in water, so that some little time will elapse after the projectile falls into
the water before the battery is made active to explode it.
When a dynamite projectile provided with this fuse is thrown from a pneumatic
or similar cannon into a shallow channel in advance of a hostile ship, the projectile
will sink to the bottom and as soon as the electric battery becomes active by the
admission of water, a most destructive explosion will take place.
The time required after immersion before the battery becomes active can be
graduated with considerable accuracy, by regulating the water supply to the
battery, by using a stopper (as of gelatine,) which can be made to dissolve in a few
seconds, or can be made hard so that several minutes will be required to dissolve
it. I have used electric primers in firing shells charged with dynamite and
explosive gelatine, to produce explosions of the highest order.
I believe I am the first, if not the only artillerist to have invented and used an
electric fuse in a projectile fired from a gun. I also believe I am the only
artillerist who has devised an electric fuse for a projectile in which the fuse
becomes sensitive when thrown into the water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The method of exploding a projectile by placing a dry battery therein, and
sensitizing the battery by the admission of water.
2. An electric battery enclosed in a projectile having a part of the electric
circuit controllable from outside the shell.
3. An electric fuse in a projectile having a part of the circuit controlled by a
projection which bears against the walls of the gun.
4. An electric battery in the point of a shell sustained by a rigid plunger which
drives in to close circuit on contact with a hard target.

page_text: 5. An electric battery in a shell and a plunger in line therewith, & an interposed
diaphragm of non-conducting material.
6. An explosive shell having a sensitized electrical battery, and a non-sensitized
battery which becomes sensitive on immersion in water.
7. An explosive shell containing an electrical battery, and having a removable or 5
soluble cover by which water may be admitted to the battery.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.