Patent ID: 9157705
Filing Date: 2015-10-13
Classification: F41H

Abstract:
1. An anti-mine device that is small and light enough to be utilized by small to medium scale robots, which device projects a dispersion pattern of fragments to cover at least a 3 to 4 inch radius circle for neutralizing antipersonnel mines that are buried within the overburden, comprising: a generally tubular housing, having an open front end opposed to a generally closed rear end, and a support, wherein said support extends the housing at least about 3 to 4 inches above the center of a mine; the tubular housing containing a mass of about 125 to about 190 grams of plastic explosive, which mass of explosive has a front end and a rear end; the mass of plastic explosive filling said tubular housing such that the rear end of the mass of plastic explosive is adjacent to the generally closed rear end of the housing and the front end of the plastic explosive is proximate to the open front end of the housing; a generally circular gas check plate having a front side and rear side, an array of generally spherical hard fragments, located along front side of said check plate; wherein the generally spherical hard fragments are each about ⅛ to about ⅜ inches in diameter; the gas check plate and the array of fragments being encased in a matrix of plastic material, wherein said encasing matrix forms a generally cylindrical puck having a front side and a rear side, wherein the generally circular gas check plate is located along the rear side of said puck and the array of fragments located along the front side of said puck: wherein, the puck is of a diameter such that it force fits within the inner diameter of the tubular housing, with the rear side of said puck contacting the front end of the mass of plastic explosive and the front side of said puck being proximate to the open front end of said housing; and wherein, the rear end of the said generally closed end of said housing has a single channel therethrough; wherein an initiator contacts the plastic explosive and initiates detonation of said plastic explosive; whereby, when the open front end of the housing is aligned with a mine and the mass of explosive is detonated, the spherical fragments will be projected at a velocity of between approximately 500 and 1,400 meters/second, without spalling, and will penetrate the overburden, and penetrate, and neutralize the mine, while minimizing the likelihood of causing a sympathetic detonation of any other nearby mines.