The first cannonballs were invented in antiquity - only then the artillery shell was not made of metal, but was an ordinary stone of a more or less round shape. Later, with the advent of guns, cores began to be cast from molten metal in the form of a solid cast round body. Nuclei were the best shells for the destruction of wooden decks of ships or for the destruction of a living enemy.
Cannonball
The cores were one of the first shells used in a firearm. Along with them were only fractions and buckshots. But the nucleus began its history in ancient times. Stone shells began to be used in antiquity for mechanical artillery. The first cores that were made specifically for the guns were exactly the same as the cores for stone-throwing machines. Such kernels were made of processed stone, and the gunsmiths tried to give the material a round shape not by scraping (in order to avoid irregularities and bevels, which greatly affected the flight path), but in a very interesting way - using rope wrapping. A little later, stone cores began to be replaced by lead ones, which immediately became widespread among military tools.
Calibration
In the 15th century, cores began to be cast from cast iron. Their powerful weight had a beneficial effect on the length of the barrel of the gun - it was possible to increase by 20 calibers. Initially, they did not attach much importance to the caliber - when charging, the main thing was that the core fit in the barrel of the gun, and it would be normal or too small - it does not matter. Soon the gunsmiths came to the conclusion that the speed and trajectory of the flight of the nucleus directly depend on a correctly selected caliber. Then the first calibration scale appeared. This made it possible to adjust the size of the nucleus to the barrel of the gun, making it slightly smaller.
Thanks to such changes, the nucleus received the maximum momentum during the explosion of gunpowder, flying to the maximum distance. That's how the cannonball began to improve on the military side.
Kernel device
Few people know that the cannonball had several devices. Please note that in some historical films the cannonball not only breaks the wall of the building or the side of the ship, it also explodes. Do not confuse a one-piece cannonball and a bomb of the same shape. The difference was that the bomb was hollow inside. Gunpowder was loaded into it, and a wick was removed from a special hole. The wick was set on fire, the gun fired a shell, and when it touched the surface, it exploded.
But not only this was the structure of the cannonball several centuries ago. In hostilities, red-hot kernels were widely used. Bombs did not always explode at the right time, sometimes the wick burned out right in the gun barrel, tearing it apart.
What is a red-hot core?
Kaleny called the core, which was heated in a special furnace before firing. This was done so that when the hot core hit the wooden surfaces or the deck of the ship, the tree would light up. And imagine what the result was if the hot metal fell into a barrel of gunpowder. A little later, the kernels acquired an even more improved look. Small metal balls formed into specially made metal nets. During the explosion, the mesh was torn. And the balls, like bullets, scattered in different directions, which led to even greater damage and casualties. The only inconvenience experienced by the shooters is uneven surfaces. If the barrel of the cannon leaned down, the cannonball was rolled out by the shooter right under his feet. Because of this, at first a lot of soldiers died, who simply did not have time to run back to a safe distance. Soon this problem was solved with the help of special props - wad.
What is the difference between bombs and shells?
The difference between bombs and simple missile nuclei was of great importance. Firstly, the weight of the cannonball was taken into account - the heavier it was (and the cores were completely different in weight - from 2 kilograms to several hundred), the more damage was expected from it. Outwardly, it was possible to distinguish where the grenade, and where the core, was only on the ears for the convenience of loading, which were done only on the bomb. Grenades were used exclusively for firing at the enemy, as well as for the destruction of field structures. Bombs destroyed strong fortresses, ships or the walls of the besieged city. Soon the incandescent cores were replaced by incendiary shells. The bomb was filled with incendiary mixture, fastened with the help of special brackets, the filter was brought out.
A little more about the kernels
So, we learned what the structure of the cannonball happens. It can be monolithic, hollow, filled, filled with incendiary mixture. We also learned that the shells differed in structure and weight. And the cannonballs (photos of which differed depending on the country) were an element of heraldic symbolism. Coats of arms of different classes depicted from several cores to a neatly folded pyramid of shells.
Interesting facts include the following. The cores lying near the famous Tsar Cannon weigh about two tons each. Of course, you can’t shoot them, because they are completely hollow inside.
But in the Czech Republic the core was preserved, which got and got stuck in the wall of the house, during the Seven Years War. The shell is covered with rust, but no one is going to take out the relic from the building. But not so long ago - just a couple of centuries ago - luminous nuclei were invented. The shells were fueled with white sparkler, and when they flew in the middle of the night, they were very clearly visible.