Editing Cannon (section)

=== Solid spaces ===

The main body of a cannon consists of three basic extensions: the foremost and the longest is called the ''chase'', the middle portion is the ''reinforce'', and the closest and briefest portion is the ''[[cascabel (artillery)|cascabel]]'' or ''cascable''.{{citation needed|reason=unusual spelling|date=December 2023}}

The chase is simply the entire conical part of the cannon in front of the ''reinforce''. It is the longest portion of the cannon, and includes the following elements:

; Neck: the narrowest part of the chase, always located near the foremost end of the piece.
; [[Muzzle (firearms)|Muzzle]]: the portion of the chase forward of the ''neck''. It includes the following:
* ''Swell of the muzzle'' refers to the slight swell in the diameter of the piece at the very end of the chase. It is often chamfered on the inside to make loading the cannon easier. In some guns, this element is replaced with a wide ring and is called a ''muzzle band''.
* ''Face'' is the flat vertical plane at the foremost edge of the muzzle (and of the entire piece).
* ''Muzzle mouldings'' are the tiered rings which connect the face with the rest of the muzzle, the first of which is called the ''lip'' and the second the ''fillet''
* ''Muzzle [[astragal]] and fillets'' are a series of three narrow rings running around the outside of the chase just behind the neck. Sometimes also collectively called the ''chase ring''.
; Chase astragal and fillets: these are a second series of such rings located at the near end of the chase.
; Chase girdle: this is the brief length of the chase between the chase astragal and fillets and the ''reinforce''.
; Reinforce: This portion of the piece is frequently divided into a ''first reinforce'' and a ''second reinforce'', but in any case is marked as separate from the chase by the presence of a narrow circular ''reinforce ring'' or ''band'' at its foremost end. The span of the reinforce also includes the following:
* ''[[Trunnions]]'' are located at the foremost end of the reinforce just behind the reinforce ring. They consist of two cylinders perpendicular to the bore and below it which are used to mount the cannon on its carriage.
* ''Rimbases'' are short broad rings located at the union of the trunnions and the cannon which provide support to the carriage attachment.
* ''Reinforce band'' is only present if the cannon has two reinforces, and it divides the first reinforce from the second.
* ''Breech'' refers to the mass of solid metal behind the bottom of the bore extending to the ''base of the breech'' and including the ''base ring''; it also generally refers to the end of the cannon opposite the ''muzzle'', i.e., the location where the explosion of the gunpowder begins as opposed to the opening through which the pressurized gas escapes.
* ''Base ring'' forms a ring at the widest part of the entire cannon at the nearest end of the reinforce just before the ''cascabel''.
; Cascabel: This is that portion of the cannon behind the reinforce(s) and behind the ''base ring''. It includes the following:
* ''Knob'' which is the small spherical terminus of the piece;
* ''Neck'', a short, narrow piece of metal holding out the knob; and
* ''Fillet'', the tiered disk connecting the neck of the cascabel to the ''base of the breech''.
* ''Base of the breech'' is the metal disk that forms the most forward part of the cascabel and rests against the breech itself, right next to the ''base ring''.

To pack a muzzle-loading cannon, first gunpowder is poured down the bore. This is followed by a layer of wadding (often nothing more than paper), and then the cannonball itself. A certain amount of [[windage]] (in this case meaning that the bore is designed slightly wider than the cannonball) allows the ball to fit down the bore, though the greater the windage the less efficient the propulsion of the ball when the gunpowder is ignited. To fire the cannon, the fuse located in the vent is lit, quickly burning down to the gunpowder, which then explodes violently, propelling wadding and ball down the bore and out of the muzzle. A small portion of exploding gas also escapes through the vent, but this does not dramatically affect the total force exerted on the ball.

Any large, [[smoothbore]], muzzle-loading gun—used before the advent of [[breech-loading]], [[rifled]] guns—may be referred to as a cannon, though once standardised names were assigned to different-sized cannon, the term specifically referred to a gun designed to fire a {{convert|42|lb|adj=on}} shot, as distinct from a [[demi-cannon]] – {{convert|32|lb}}, [[culverin]] – {{convert|18|lb}}, or [[demi-culverin]] – {{convert|9|lb}}. ''Gun'' in this context specifically refers to a type of cannon that fires projectiles at high speeds, and usually at relatively low angles;<ref name = "mutuur">{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gun|title=Definition of "Gun"|access-date=26 May 2008|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster's Dictionary]]|archive-date=4 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404232706/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gun|url-status=live}}</ref> they have been used in warships,<ref>{{cite book|title=Naval Gun|year=1978|publisher=Blandford Press|first=Ian V.|last=Hogg|author2=John H. Batchelor|isbn=978-0-7137-0905-6}}</ref> and as [[field artillery]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Encyclopædia Britannica A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, volume 2|last=Baynes|first=Thomas S.|year=1888|page=667|access-date=26 May 2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hakMAAAAYAAJ|publisher=H.G. Allen|archive-date=11 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711155545/http://books.google.com/books?id=hakMAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The term ''cannon'' is also used for [[autocannon]], a modern repeating weapon firing explosive projectiles. Cannon have been used extensively in fighter aircraft since [[World War II]].<ref name="Aircraft Cannon">{{cite web|url=http://www.defencenews.com.au/article-archive.cfm?ID=513&currentpage=2&detail=yes&thiscatid=0|title=Aircraft cannon|publisher=Strike Publications|author=Carlo Kopp|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-date=6 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706103251/http://www.defencenews.com.au/article-archive.cfm?ID=513&currentpage=2&detail=yes&thiscatid=0|url-status=live}}</ref>