cket , ▁miss ile , ▁gr en ade , ▁etc . ▁is ▁sh atter ed ▁by ▁the ▁det on ation ▁of ▁the ▁explos ive ▁fill er . ▁ ▁The ▁correct ▁term ▁for ▁these ▁pieces ▁is ▁" fragment ation " ▁( s ometimes ▁short ened ▁to ▁frag ); ▁" sh ards " ▁or ▁" spl inter s " ▁can ▁be ▁used ▁for ▁non - pre formed ▁fragments . ▁Pre formed ▁fragments ▁can ▁be ▁of ▁various ▁shapes ▁( s pher es , ▁cub es , ▁ro ds , ▁etc .) ▁and ▁sizes , ▁and ▁are ▁normally ▁held ▁rig id ly ▁within ▁some ▁form ▁of ▁matrix ▁or ▁body ▁until ▁the ▁high ▁explos ive ▁( HE ) ▁filling ▁is ▁det on ated . ▁The ▁resulting ▁high - vel ocity ▁fragments ▁produced ▁by ▁either ▁method ▁are ▁the ▁main ▁le th al ▁mechan isms ▁of ▁these ▁weapons , ▁rather ▁than ▁the ▁heat ▁or ▁over press ure ▁caused ▁by ▁det on ation , ▁although ▁off ensive ▁gr en ades ▁are ▁often ▁constructed ▁without ▁a ▁frag ▁matrix . ▁ ▁These ▁cas ing ▁pieces ▁are ▁often ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁" sh rap nel " ▁by ▁non - mil it ary ▁media ▁sources . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁use ▁of ▁fragment ation ▁in ▁bomb s ▁dates ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century , ▁and ▁appears ▁in ▁the ▁M ing ▁D ynast y ▁text ▁Hu ol ong j ing . ▁The ▁fragment ation ▁bomb s ▁were ▁filled ▁with ▁iron ▁pel lets ▁and ▁pieces ▁of ▁broken ▁por cel ain . ▁Once ▁the ▁bomb ▁expl