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No. The weight of the iron ball at the speed it was thrust, did the damage not any explosions. As above. Strictly speaking cannon balls are solid, the ones that explode on impact or during flight are shells.

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16y ago
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13y ago

Cannonballs do not explode. They are solid iron and their destruction comes from sheer force of impact. The gun powder is in the cannon. It's explosion propels the projectile, (Cannonball), into the direction the cannon is pointed. It is the same principle used in in a cap and ball, black powder pistol, or rifle. The powder ignites and the ensuing explosion propels the ball, or bullet, forward!

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12y ago

Yes.

There were 3 basic types of projectiles fired from most cannons during the Civil War.

1- Solid shot. These were round projectiles of solid steel.

2- Shell. These were usually conical nose and had a fuse that would burn through to ignite the powder inside the shell. The fuse could be adjusted to explode at different intervals after it left the barrel.

3- Cannister (or grape shot). This was a load of multiple small balls that flew out in all directions after it left the barrel. Sometimes, they would make the cannister shot out of nails and scrap metal.

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11y ago

no

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Q: Do civil war cannon balls explode?
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How are cannon balls made you read in the paper that a man was killed when an old cannon ball blew up?

Cannon balls would not blow up. The newspaper must have gotten something wrong - maybe they meant to say a mine blew up. Cannon balls are solid metal - they do damage when the cannon blows them out at high speed like a bullet. Cannon balls can explode, during the civil war era cannon balls were in use that were just a hallow shell of metal and had gun powder and pieces of metal on the inside an di fuse was placed in the cannon ball and when fired the fuse would ignite and then would burn the fuse and ignite the gun powder inside the cannon ball. There were also some cannon balls that would explode on impact using friction strips on the inside that would create a spark and ignite the gun powder on the inside. So yes cannon balls can explode, the type of cannon ball the person above me is referring to is called solid shot, there are a lot other types out there like cannister, and grape shot, and connical shaped rounds and even hexagonal shaped rounds just to name a few, but yes cannon balls can explode


What is the size of a cannon ball?

the size of the cannon ball depends on the size of the cannon. civil war cannons had cannon balls about the size of a child's head, aprox 30cm across


What did civil war cannon balls look like?

Big, black sphere- shaped cherry bombs


What made US Civil War cannon balls explode?

Some were hollow iron projectiles and filled with black powder. The same powder used to fire cannons and muskets. Time delay fuses were attached. These were ignited by the canon firing, burned a predetermined time, and exploded the powder.


How can you verify you have a civil war cannon ball?

Were there lead cannonballs during Civil WAr


How was the war at sea fought in world war on?

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What are the new uses for steel in the civil war?

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Who made the civil war cannon?

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What was the first Civil War cannon?

The main cannon of the Civil War was the 10-pound muzzle loading Parrot Rifle. However, there were many older types of cannon still in use at the beginning of the Civil War. These ranged from Revolutionary-era "grasshoppers" (small 3-pounders made of brass) up to cast iron mortars and cannon.


What battles was Old Ironsides in?

Old Ironsides had cannon balls bounce off the sides. The USS Constitution fought the Barbary pirates, served in the War of 1812, and was a training ship for the Naval Academy in the Civil War.


What war was the cannon used in?

IDK only the revolutionary and civil war probably.IMPROVED ANSWER:Large cannons were first used in warfare about 1350. Cannons of this time were first cast of bronze and of wrought iron.Cannons firing heavy balls were used extensively by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War.


Where can you find civil war cannon balls?

You can find one of them embedded in the wall of a very gracious guest-house in Vicksburg, called Cedar Grove - a vivid reminder of the great siege of 1863.