A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand also called hand grenade , but can also refer to a shell explosive projectile shot from the muzzle of a rifle as a rifle grenade or a grenade launcher.
A modern hand grenade generally consists of an explosive charge "filler" , a detonator mechanism, an internal striker to trigger the detonator, an arming safety secured by a transport safety. The user removes the transport safety before throwing, and once the grenade leaves the hand the arming safety gets released, allowing the striker to trigger a primer that ignites a fuze sometimes called the delay element , which burns down to the detonator and explodes the main charge.
Grenades work by dispersing fragments fragmentation grenades , shockwaves high-explosive , anti-tank and stun grenades , chemical aerosols smoke , gas and chemical grenades or fire incendiary grenades. Their outer casings, generally made of a hard synthetic material or steel, are designed to rupture and fragment on detonation, sending out numerous fragments shards and splinters as fast-flying projectiles.
In modern grenades, a pre-formed fragmentation matrix inside the grenade is commonly used, which may be spherical, cuboid, wire or notched wire. Most anti-personnel AP grenades are designed to detonate either after a time delay or on impact. Grenades are often spherical, cylindrical, ovoid or truncated ovoid in shape, and of a size that fits the hand of an average-sized adult. Some grenades are mounted at the end of a handle and known as " stick grenades ". The stick design provides leverage for throwing longer distances, but at the cost of additional weight and length, and has been considered obsolete by western countries since the Second World War and Cold War periods.
A friction igniter inside the handle or on the top of the grenade head was used to initiate the fuse. The word grenade is likely derived from the French word spelled exactly the same, meaning pomegranate , [ 2 ] as the bomb is reminiscent of the many-seeded fruit in size and shape. Its first use in English dates from the s. A military book, Wujing Zongyao Compilation of Military Classics , described various gunpowder recipes in which one can find, according to Joseph Needham , the prototype of the modern hand grenade.
