Artillery primers

While waiting for private industry to convert its. assembly lines for ammunition production, Picatinny Filled the gap. Between July 1939 and September 1952, more than 7,500,000 bomb fuzes, almost 20,000J000 boosters, 44,000,000 artillery primers, 39,000,000 artillery fuzes, and countless millions of other items were turned out... 

It is becoming increasingly clear that the preponderant amt of modern ordnance requiring the initiation of HE charges utilize electric initiation. However, there still remains a continued requirement for the use of percussion initiation. The use and description of sensitive artillery primers, eg, M29A1, etc, to accomplish this has previously been discussed... 

More detailed description and cutaway views of artillery primer-igniters will be given after a brief description of ammunition in which such initiating devices are used. Cutaway views of typical fixed, semifixed and separated rounds of ammunition are in-... 

PATR 1711 P.B. Tweed, "Black Powder for Artillery Primers (Dec 1948)... 

PATR 2510 (1958). See Ref 35 PATR 2515 H. Hassmann, Evaluation of EIMITE as a Substitute for Black Powder in Artillery Primers (April... 

Modem artillery primers also include a charge of penthrite and lead azide sensitized to flame by the addition of lead styphnate or tetrazene. 

Eimite (Explosive). A Black Powder Modification described by H. Hassmann in PATR 2515(1957), entitled "Evaluation of Eimite as a Substitute for Black Powder in Artillery Primers . The title was (U), while che rept was (C), now declassified. Eimire is a stoichiometric mixt of atomi zed Mg, recrystallized KNOg 20-40% NC (13.15% N). 

Artillery primer-igniters, detailed description of 4D792... 

Potassium Dinitroazidophenolate (called Potassium Dinitrophenylazide by McNutt). K0,N3.CgH2(N02)2. It was proposed as an ingredient of primer mixts suitable for small srms and artillery ammo, commercial blasting caps, etc. Typical mixts suggested were 1)K Dinitroazidophenolate 16, Basic Pb Styphnate 15, Ba nitrate 40, Sb silicide 29% 2) K Dinitroazidophenolate 17, Basic Pb Styphnate 18, Ba nitrate 35, Pb thiocyanide 5, ground glass 25%... 

Since the quantity of small arms ammo manufd and expended is extremely high, greater emphasis has been placed on an explanation of the primers used in these rounds. However, this in no way is intended to diminish the importance of additional types of percussion primers which find wide use in artillery ammo (Table 3)... 

The items used for military purposes include those used for small arms ammunition, artillery ammunition, rocket ammunition, aircraft bombs, land sea mines, grenades, demolition devices and pyrotechnic devices. As some items (such as detonators, primers, etc) can be used in several kinds of ammunition our write-up might contain some repetitions... 

Propellent (or Low-Explosive) Train. Combination of primer, igniter and propellant used for propelling artillery ammun ition. See Section 3, Part D... 

Primers used in small arms and field artillery weapons were of the nonelectric type, but in stationary cannons, such as in coastal artillery or in Naval cannons, electric primers could be used... 

It should be noted that electric firing devices for initiating propelling chges were used in "seacoast" and "railway" artillery before and during WWI (Ref 6, pp 227 314), but it does not seem that seacoast and railway artillery are used now by the US Armed Forces. The latest description of a seacoast primer was given in 1946 in the book by Ohart (Ref 17, p 53). The primer is M30... 

Cj) Description of Various Types of Artillery Ammunition Showing the Location and Function of Primer-Igniters and of Projectiles... 

Electric Primer. This type is fired by the heat generated when an electric current passes thru a resistance wire or conductive primer mixture embedded in a primer compn. It was formerly used in harbor defense and railroad artillery ammunition (Ref 15, p 117), but is... 

Trench mortars, historical) 276 (Ignition cartridge and fuze for 3-inch trench mortar ammo) 279 283 (Ignition cartridges for 81-mm trench mortar) 291-318 (Trench mortar fuzes) 319-23 (Artillery fuzes-his-torical, classification and forces available to cause artillery fuzes to function) 326-28 (Percussion primers American M36 and Berdan M37 for 2 0-mm shells) 328, 337, 340-42, 356-57, 369-76, 383-99, 435-44, 455-56, 462, 469-71, 484, 497-502, 525 532-33 (Fuzes for various caliber artillery ammo) 331-35, 364-66, 403-07, 510, 528 541-45 (Primers, percussion for various caliber artillery ammo) 557-62, 580-91 606 (Bomb fuzes) 579-80 (Primer-detonators for bombs) 623-32 (Depth bomb fuzes) 643-52 (Fuzes for fragmentation bombs) 668-71 (Chemical bomb fuzes) ... 

Anon, "Artillery Ammunition", Dept of the Army Technical Manual TM 9-1300-203 (1967), pp 1-10 to 1-11, Figs 1-5 1-6 (Explosive train) 1-39 (Fuze, definition) 1-39 to 1-44 (Primer, definition, classification and brief description of various types used in guns and howitzers) 2-88 to 2-89 Fig 2-57 2-129, Fig 2-85 (Electric percussion primer Mk 15 and Mod 2) 2-89,... 

Lusardi (Ref 24) describes in Section 200 the following analytical procedures used for artillery detonator, primer and igniter compositions ... 

Method No 209. Primer Mix in the M29A1 Percussion Primer, used in artillery fuzes. US Military Specification MIL-P-2496D(1967) requirements Moisture, max 0.30% and Composition TNT, Sb sulfide, Pb thiocyanate K chlorate. Percentages of ingredients are not given Procedures ... 

Colpo complete (Shot or Complete Round of Artillery Ammunition). Accdg to MUNIZION-AMENTO ITALIANO (AddnlRef C), the colpo completo consists of il proietto (Projectile) la carica di lancio (Propelling Charge) il cannelo [Projectile (or Fuze) Primer] and la spoletta (Fuze)... 

Gilding metal is used for some military purposes. The requirements of US Armed Forces for gilding metal, called "95/5 Brass 1, are covered by Specification JAN-G-439 (Aug 1946) Cu 94—95 St Zn 6—5% (minus allowable impurities 0.13%, which include Pb max 0.03 Fe max 0.05%). This type of gilding metal is used as casings for primers and detonators for artillery ammunition and bombs... 

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