Do canonballs explode?

Question

Where does the damage from canonballs come from? The weight and velocity or do they also detonate and explode?

Answer 1

It depended on the target. To sink a ship or break a wall, it was just a solid steel ball. To kill people, some where loaded with gun power and shrapnel. The cannon's propellant charge ignited a fuse whose length was cut to explode at the desired range *over* the enemy troops.

Answer 2

Most cannonballs used on the infantry battlefield were usually the solid and chain-shots...nothing tears through a group of soldiers like two cannonballs tied together with a chain, so they would spin around each other after being fired. nasty.

BUT, there were specially designed round shells called Carcasses that came into use around 1672 in France.These shells were designed to be filled with a highly flammable mix and to explode on impact. Not like modern day artillery shells though that use high explosives, these shells were filled with an early version of napalm made of pitch, turpentine, gunpowder and other such fun stuff.

They were used in mortars for destroying defenses, but mainly on ships, as shooting another ship and catching it on fire with splashing napalm-crud is much more effective than just shooting it...more info on link below.

hope this helps...

Answer 3

The energy of its weight and velocity does the damage. Cannon balls made of stone or cast iron can shatter on impact which gives the impression that they have exploded.

Answer 4

No it's just that they're very heavy and crash into things. No explosions