Aren’t they also called blasting caps? That’s what I was told when I helped out with Pyro at a few air shows.
Same. I am 45 and have lived my whole life in the United States, and the only time I have ever seen the word “fuze” is as the name for a brand of bottled tea. It’s definitely not “the American spelling of ‘fuse’”.
It seems like a purely military usage even within the US. Funny enough, I also grew up a military kid, spent years living on military bases, and was even employed by the US Navy a couple of times (once as a contractor, and later directly), and still never ran across that usage. Then again, I was never paid to blow things up. Mostly just to mow lawns and sell movie theater tickets on a military base.
Another American here who has never seen the word “fuze” (and when I typed that my spellcheck corrected it to fuse.) It makes me think of either an energy drink or a vape product like Vuze. It is certainly not an American spelling of fuse.
It’s probably not purely military. There are other lines of work that involve setting off explosives. Though, yeah, the military is probably the largest one.
US Army civilian explosive expert (I retired after 37 years with all my fingers and toes!).
Fuse, burns using black powder or similar chemical. Typical device / application is Time Fuse. Used with an initiator. Burns at a repeatable rate (varies with ambient temperature, humidity, altitude but is repeatable over short time periods). Usually has a non-electric blasting cap attached or is fastened into a flame sensitive detonator. Just provides a spit of flame. Old design time fuse would burn along the surface (cord soaked in a black powder solution and dried). Think back to the westerns of your youth as the time fuse would burn into the mine shaft. Another application is in older mortar fuses (fuse here because it burns) as a timer. The fuse setting portion is rotated to bring the initiator to a different spot on an embeded black powder ring. Changes the burn time and initiation of the detonator or expulsion charge. The only current rounds in US stocks are some 60/81mm illumination mortar rounds (very much older).
Fuze in Army parlance refers to mechanical or electrical function. Typically artillery point detonating, mechanical/electrical time fuzes; proximity fuzes.
Fusee is a commercial burning flare typically used in railway signaling.
Fuzee enters the chat…
Interesting, I was at the Portsmouth naval museum just last weekend and visited the section on explosives and ordnance of all kinds. (and very interesting place FWIW)
My daughter noted the “fuze” spelling on some of the display tags and wondered why it was an American spelling in a British museum.
I said it was just an alternative UK spelling (like jail/gaol) and sure enough it was shown as “fuse” in other displays. I wasn’t aware of the possible technical distinction between the two in british english but if I go back I’ll take note and see if the museum usage is true to that definitional difference.