Per·cus·sion n.
 1. The act of percussing, or striking one body against another; forcible collision, esp. such as gives a sound or report.
 2. Hence: The effect of violent collision; vibratory shock; impression of sound on the ear.
    The thunderlike percussion of thy sounds.   --Shak.
 3. Med. The act of tapping or striking the surface of the body in order to learn the condition of the parts beneath by the sound emitted or the sensation imparted to the fingers.  Percussion is said to be immediate if the blow is directly upon the body; if some intervening substance, as a pleximeter, is, used, it is called mediate.
 Center of percussion. See under Center.
 Percussion bullet, a bullet containing a substance which is exploded by percussion; an explosive bullet.
 Percussion cap, a small copper cap or cup, containing fulminating powder, and used with a percussion lock to explode gunpowder.
 Percussion fuze. See under Fuze.
 Percussion lock, the lock of a gun that is fired by percussion upon fulminating powder.
 Percussion match, a match which ignites by percussion.
 Percussion powder, powder so composed as to ignite by slight percussion; fulminating powder.
 Percussion sieve, Percussion table, a machine for sorting ores by agitation in running water.

 ◄ ►


 Fuze n. A tube, filled with combustible matter, for exploding a shell, etc. See Fuse, n.
 Chemical fuze, a fuze in which substances separated until required for action are then brought into contact, and uniting chemically, produce explosion.
 Concussion fuze, a fuze ignited by the striking of the projectile.
 Electric fuze, a fuze which is ignited by heat or a spark produced by an electric current.
 Friction fuze, a fuze which is ignited by the heat evolved by friction.  See fuzee1.
 Percussion fuze, a fuze in which the ignition is produced by a blow on some fulminating compound.
 Time fuze, a fuze adapted, either by its length or by the character of its composition, to burn a certain time before producing an explosion.

 ◄ ►