Ordnance – Mine-destroying devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2002-05-28
Eldred, J. Woodrow (Department: 3644)
Ordnance
Mine-destroying devices
C172S122000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06393959
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a mine disposal apparatus and method which are capable of effectively disposing personnel mines, and also reforming lands to ensure farmlands after the mine disposal.
BACKGROUND ART
All the personnel mines are conventionally disposed by manual works. In detail, the manual work is generally carried out by detecting the mines one by one by the use of a mine detector, similar to a metal detector, fixed to a long bar body, confirming, the condition of the mine while sprinkling water, if detecting the mine, to soften the earth therearound, removing the earth by using a brush to expose the mine, and then exploding the mine by explosives.
In this way, the mines are conventionally disposed one by one depending on the experience and the six sense of the specialists. There are many cases that personnel mines, which are of a compact plastic type, are carried away during the rainy season and then embedded under the neglected paddy fields as floating mines, thereby making it difficult to detect them.
Therefore, there is proposed a caterpillar vehicle, especially, a caterpillar vehicle disclosed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-71898, in which using a bulldozer in order to sweep mines enables the mines to be effectively swept without exposing the bulldozer to danger occurring in'sweeping the mines.
The caterpillar vehicle is provided with a front construction body operatively coupled to the caterpillar vehicle so as to move up and down through a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder piston unit, and also, if circumstances require, through an underframe rotatably fixed to the caterpillar vehicle. The front construction body has a box at least partially opening at a front side and a back side thereof with respect to the travelling direction, and the box has therein a milling drum, of especially hydraulically rotated type, which is disposed also on a lateral side thereof essentially with respect to the travelling direction.
There is disclosed that the above caterpillar vehicle rotates, as a mine vehicle, the milling drum in the opposite direction to the travelling direction of the vehicle to feed the mine in front of the milling drum, to thereby explode the mine there under pressure.
There is proposed another mine disposer in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-320199, in which a device comprising a horizontal rotational shaft and a number of flail type hammer bodies of super alloy arranged on the rotational shaft is disposed on a distal end of a derrickable and foldable arm of a heavy vehicle used for shovel machines.
According to the mine disposer proposed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-320199, a number of the flail type hammer bodies of super alloy are arranged on the rotating shaft at the distal end of the derrickable and foldable arm of the heavy vehicle used for shovel machines; therefore, getting the hammers close to the ground and then rotating the rotational shaft causes the hammers to strike the ground, thereby causing the hammers to crush, even if the mine is embedded in the ground, the mine through its outer casing such as a case to break it into fragments without large explosion
However, the caterpillar vehicle disclosed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-71898 has some problems. That is, the caterpiller vehicle is comprised of a bulldozer which is so constructed to sweep the mines; therefore, it is firstly limited in movement to the bulldozer to disable the position of the milling drum for exploding the mines to be changed without advancing and turning the vehicle itself, which deteriorates the small sharp turn and the speediness.
Also, the milling drum for exploding the mines get close to the vehicle main body, causing the driver's seat to get close to the explosion location, which causes the driver to be exposed to danger, and also may cause the caterpillars of the vehicle to be damaged in the case of a tank mine having a large explosion force.
Therefore, the caterpillar vehicle disclosed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-71898 rotates the milling drum in the opposite direction to the travelling direction of the vehicle to feed the mine in front of the milling drum to thereby explode the mine there under the pressure, thereby preventing the mines from getting close to the vehicle. This, however, causes the cut sediment to reversely cover the mine to embed the mine deeply, which may makes impossible it to surely explode the mine. In particular, the personnel mines are designed to be laid relatively shallowly in the ground to explode by a small shock, as is distinct from tank mines. Therefore, it is not preferable to explode the personnel mines while applying the pressure to the milling drum like the caterpillar vehicle disclosed in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-71898.
Also, there is disclosed that the milling drum has cutting tools and/or crushing tools especially at regular intervals on its circumferential surface; therefore, these tools catch the mines from below and then the pressure applied by the milling drum itself explodes the mines mixed in the sediment transferred in front of the milling drum. But there is not identified in detail the construction of the cutting tools and/or the crushing tools.
On the other hand, the mine disposer shown in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication (Kbkai) No. 8-320199 has the mine disposing mechanism at the distal end of the derrickable and foldable arm of the heavy vehicle used for shovel machines such as back hoes; therefore, it is possible to carry out a forwarding (advancing) and turning compound movement by moving an arm, and carrying out mine disposal over a wide range by turning the arm while carrying out works, and also carrying out a wide range-working by extending the arm to a steep slope or a narrow place where the machines cannot enter.
However, a number of the flail type hammer bodies of super alloy are arranged on the rotating shaft; therefore, getting the hammers close to the ground surface and then rotating the rotational shaft causes the hammers to strike the ground surface, thereby causing the hammers to crush, even if the mine is embedded in the ground, the mine through its outer casing such as a case to break it into fragments without large explosion. However, such hammer bodies are poor in sediment-cutting ability, which disables, if the mines are embedded relatively deeply in the ground, the hammers to exhibit its performance.
In particular, there are many cases that personnel mines, which are of a compact plastic type, are carried away during the rainy season and then embedded under the neglected paddy fields as floating mines, which makes it difficult to detect the mines. Further, if the neglected time period becomes long, the mines may be undesirably covered with vegetation such as shrub, ditch reed, and grass and embedded with collapsed sediment such as clayey wall, mound, and bank, which requires such a preparation work as to prepare a working environment before the mine disposing work. However, the extra attention has been not given to such a preparation up to now.
Also, the embedded things include not only personnel mines but also tank mines or unexploded shells. Handling them all as the personnel mines may bring serious accidents. In the case of the tank mine, etc., having a large explosion force, the vehicle, etc., may be damaged.
Improving the mine disposal area to farmlands requires other agricultural implements, which makes the operation troublesome.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages, and hence to provide a mine disposal apparatus and method which are capable of firstly systematically carry out works including preparation works such as a vegetation work, a collapsed sediment removing work, etc, and secondly safely and surely disposing personnel mines separately from the tank mines, the unexploded shells, etc., and further effectively carrying out works
Eldred J. Woodrow
Koda & Androlia
Yamanashi Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
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