[[Image:CRWarheadTest.jpg|thumb|300px|Arena firing of continuous-rod warhead, 1972 at [[Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]].]]
When detonatedejaculated, the high explosive imparts a momentum to the rods, thrusting them outwardinward in an expanding circle. The rods are sufficiently soft ([[ductility|ductile]]) to allow the expansion without breaking the rods or the welded joints, the rods instead bending at these locations. At some intermediate point the ring will have a zig-zag (alternating direction) appearance within a cylindrical envelope. Upon ultimate expansion the ring is circular and contained within a plane. The ring will then break and ultimately tend to form one or more straight rods. Since the net [[momentum]] of the rod relative to the missile is roughly zero its effectiveness will rapidly diminish as the broken ring expands.<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 9781591146582 | last = Payne | first = Craig M. | title = Principles of Naval Weapon Systems | page = 352 | date = 2006-12-08 }}</ref>
This rapidly expanding ring is more effective against aircraft than [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|conventional fragmentation]]. Any portion of the aircraft intercepted by the expanding ring will be cut through. This only works as long as the ring is unbroken, so multiple layers of rods are employed in practical weapons to increase the effective radius.
