Wikipedia
Shellite may refer to :
- An Australian form of Naphtha
- Shellite (explosive), British explosive filling for armour-piercing naval shells of the 1920s to 1930s
thumb|right|British, 12 inch shells displayed at the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre (2008). On the right is a Mk 6A Capped Common pointed shell, (formerly) filled with Shellite 70/30 Shellite (known as Tridite in US service) is an explosive mixture of Picric acid and Dinitrophenol or Picric acid and Hexanitrodiphenylamine in a ratio of 70/30. It was typically used as a filling in Royal Navy armour-piercing shells during the early part of the 20th century.
Shellite originated after World War 1 as a development of Lyddite (Picric acid). During the war, Lyddite-filled, armour-piercing shells had been found to be shock-sensitive, with a tenancy to prematurely detonate upon impact rather than after penetrating the target's armour plate. Shellite was less sensitive, and also had the advantage of a low melting point, that allowed it to be easily melted and poured into shell casings during manufacture. The first trials of shellite took place in 1921, when the British monitor experimentally fired different types 15" shell at , point-blank range against the surrendered German ship SMS Baden.
During World War 2, Shellite continued to be used in naval shells. It was used in the British Disney bomb, a type of concrete-piercing bomb.