Ramasamy A, Hill A M, Hepper A E, Bull A M J, Clasper J C
Department of Bioengineering, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ.
J R Army Med Corps. 2009 Dec;155(4):258-64. doi: 10.1136/jramc-155-04-06.
Since World War II, more vehicles have been lost to land mines than all other threats combined. Anti-vehicular (AV) mines are capable of disabling a heavy vehicle, or completely destroying a lighter vehicle. The most common form of AV mine is the blast mine, which uses a large amount of explosive to directly damage the target. In a conventional military setting, landmines are used as a defensive force-multiplier and to restrict the movements of the opposing force. They are relatively cheap to purchase and easy to acquire, hence landmines are also potent weapons in the insurgents' armamentarium. The stand-offnature of its design has allowed insurgents to cause significant injuries to security forces in current conflicts with little personal risk. As a result, AV mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have become the most common cause of death and injury to Coalition and local security forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. Detonation of an AV mine causes an explosive, exothermic reaction which results in the formation of a shockwave followed by a rapid expansion of gases. The shockwave is mainly reflected by the soillair interface and fractures the soil cap overthe mine. The detonation products then vent through the voids in the soil, resulting in a hollow inverse cone which consists of the detonation gases surrounded by the soil ejecta. It is the combination of the detonation products and soil ejecta that interact with the target vehicle and cause injury to the vehicle occupants. A number of different strategies are required to mitigate the blast effects of an explosion. Primary blast effects can be reduced by increasing the standoff distance between the seat of the explosion and the crew compartment. Enhancement of armour on the base of the vehicle, as well as improvements in personal protection can prevent penetration of fragments. Mitigating tertiary effects can be achieved by altering the vehicle geometry and structure, increasing vehicle mass, as well as developing new strategies to reduce the transfer of the impulse through the vehicle to the occupants. Protection from thermal injury can be provided by incorporating fire resistant materials into the vehicle and in personal clothing. The challenge for the vehicle designer is the incorporation of these protective measures within an operationally effective platform.
自第二次世界大战以来，因地雷而损失的车辆比因所有其他威胁造成损失的车辆总和还要多。反车辆地雷能够使重型车辆丧失行动能力，或彻底摧毁轻型车辆。反车辆地雷最常见的形式是爆破地雷，它使用大量炸药直接损毁目标。在传统军事环境中，地雷被用作一种防御性兵力倍增器，用于限制敌方部队的行动。地雷购买成本相对较低且易于获取，因此也是叛乱分子武器库中的有力武器。其设计的远距离特性使叛乱分子在当前冲突中能够在几乎不冒个人风险的情况下对安全部队造成重大伤亡。因此，反车辆地雷和简易爆炸装置已成为在伊拉克和阿富汗行动的联军及当地安全部队伤亡的最常见原因。反车辆地雷的引爆会引发爆炸的放热反应，产生冲击波，随后气体迅速膨胀。冲击波主要在土壤与空气的界面反射，使地雷上方的土壤覆盖层破裂。爆炸产物随后通过土壤中的空隙排出，形成一个中空的倒锥形，由被土壤喷出物包围的爆炸气体组成。正是爆炸产物和土壤喷出物的结合与目标车辆相互作用，对车内人员造成伤害。需要采取多种不同策略来减轻爆炸的冲击效果。通过增加爆炸点与乘员舱之间的距离可以降低初始冲击效果。增强车辆底部的装甲以及改进个人防护装备可以防止碎片穿透。通过改变车辆的几何形状和结构、增加车辆重量以及制定新策略来减少冲量通过车辆传递给乘员，可减轻次生冲击效果。在车辆和个人服装中加入防火材料可以提供防热伤害保护。车辆设计师面临的挑战是在一个作战效能高的平台中融入这些保护措施。
