The explanation covers several linked defects: weak shell bodies could break up, caps could fail, fuzes were unreliable, and pure lyddite was difficult to control. Shellite mixed lyddite with dinitrophenol, trading some raw power for more predictable explosive performance. Wartime trials accepted a comparatively stable 60:40 mixture, while postwar work explored a more energetic 70:30 balance. A less powerful filling was still destructive, and controlled detonation after penetration was more useful than an uncontrolled burst.
Chapter · 18:05-23:02
What made the later Greenboy shell more effective
The discussion separates stronger shell bodies and better fuzes from the Shellite filling that made a penetrating explosion more dependable.