how do landmines work and how much damage can they do?
In: Technology
Bury a bomb and put the detonator button on top. Boom!
Damage depends on bomb design and the size of the bomb. Fragmentation and high explosive are common.
They’re basically bombs that you plant in the ground. They can either be triggered remotely, through a trip wire connected to the mine, or with a pressure sensor directly on the top of the mine.
Damage? Depends on the mine type. Anything from blow your legs off to blow up a truck and everyone in it.
They can significant damage. The concussive force alone is enough to kill let alone ones filled with shrapnel.
On top of the mine is a easily breakable cork that holds a “detonator”, a small metal tube that falls down inside the mine if the cork is broken. When the tube hits the bottom it releases a spark which triggers which then triggers the explosion. The cork is usually carried separately from the mine and placed in place only when the mine is half buried in the ground.
Well at least this is how anti vehicle landmines work.
>how do land mineswork
What type are we talking about?
>and how much damage can they do?
How big is it?
There are tons of different styles from traditional Anti-Personnel and Anti-Tank to Bouncing Betties and tripwire triggered mines.
Mines are built and selected for specific targets. Anti-tank mines often have a heavy trigger so they aren’t set off by people which would be a waste. Anti-personnel mines come in a variety of power levels really depending on the size of the mine with smaller mines being much less destructive than larger ones.
Most mines are triggered by direct downward pressure and then blow upwards but there are other styles out there. German S-Mines (Bouncing Betty) would be triggered by someone stepping on it, then a few seconds later it would launch about a meter into the air and then detonate. This meant that instead of hurting people for a few meters around it, it was fatal within 20 meters and could inflict causalities 140 meters away!
Just like most things, they vary and different tactics call for different styles
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