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Floating Mine Blade
Objective
Perform wide area mine clearance to
remove AT (and some AP) mines from the soil.
Description
The Floating Mine Blade mounts
on the front of a 150 kw (200 hp) class dozer, replacing the standard
blade. The digging teeth on the Floating Mine Blade rake the land
and peel up a mixture of soil and large objects (including mines). The
soil mixture is fed to a transverse mounted set of meshing sifting teeth
and vanes. The meshing/sifting action of the teeth and vanes return soil
and small objects to the lane being raked, while depositing mines and
other large objects to the side of the dozer as it moves forward. The
unique characteristic of the design is the free floating linkage which
suspends the digging teeth in front of the dozer. In effect, the teeth are
towed which causes them to float to a predefined, constant raking depth.
This is a technological improvement over military plows and bulldozer
blades, which require high operator skills and constant adjustments.
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Contractor/Developer
U.S. Army
CECOM Night Vision
and Electronic Sensors Directorate
10221 Burbeck Road, Ste. 430
Fort Belvoir, VA
22060-5806
ATTN: Chris Wanner
Phone: (703) 704-1076
Fax: (703) 704-3001
Email: cwanner@nvl.army.mil
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Performance
In tests, the Floating
Mine Blade removed AT mines buried 20 cm (8 in.) and bounding
AP mines buried 15 cm (6 in.). The mines were sifted from the soil
and deposited to the right side of the vehicle for easy collection
and disposal. The blade demonstrated the ability to rake a swath
of 2.9 m (9.5 ft.) at a forward speed of 2.5 km/h (1.5 mph). The
mechanical automatic depth control demonstrated the ability to maintain
a smooth, even raking depth over varying terrain with minimal operator
involvement. The Floating Mine Blade is designed to have
a low probability of detonation because the mines are raked from
underneath.
Limitations
- Mines smaller than 10.2 cm (4") in diameter may be re-deposited in the soil.
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AP mines have a high probability of detonating as they are sifted.
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Heavy vegetation tends to clog the sifter and degrades performance.
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Total system weight is 29 metric tons.
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The blade
automatically
floats to the optimum depth
for extracting
mines.
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View of the back of the
vehicle showing the
auxiliary
power unit.
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Status
The Floating Mine Blade was operationally tested in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. To discuss the possibility of obtaining this item
for field testing through the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program, contact
the DoD point of contact listed on page 65 of this catalog.
| Specifications |
Weight:
Floating
Blade: 5,900 kg (13,000 lbs.)*
Hydraulic
Power
Unit: 1,360 kg (3,000 lbs.)*
D7R
Tractor: 22,226 kg (49,000 lbs.)
General: Clearance
Width: 2.9 meters (9.5 ft.)
Clearance
Depth: 20-38 cm (8-15 in.) depending on vegetation
Hydraulic Power Unit Output: 100 hp
Overall
Dimensions: 4.1 x 6.1 meters (13.5 x 20 ft.)
*These
components replace the 3,583 kg (7,900 lbs.) dozer blade for a net gain of
3,677 kg (8,106 lbs.). |
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Humanitarian Demining Developmental
Technologies 2000 - 2001
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