Bourrelet

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A bourrelet is a ring of softer material around the diameter of an artillery shell. Its role is to form a seal between shell and gun barrel, so the propellant gases cannot leak through the space between them. It also acts as a bearing surface.

The shells using bourrelets are usually of slightly smaller diameter than the barrel, so the only surface in contact with the barrel is the bourrelet itself.

In costuming, a bourrelet is a padded ring worn upon the head. These were popular in the fifteenth century. The fashion started as rolling up the hoods of the fourteenth century to wear as a cap.