Cutaway model of a Italian post WW2 AUS 50/5 bounding mine. The mine body is manufactured from bakelite. The shape of the mine body makes it suitable for usage in soft soil or snow. In contrast to other bounding mines this mine has no steel mortar pot, it uses the surrounding soil or snow as mortar. The outside of the mine body is equiped with a cast in camouflage pattern that enshures the mine has no straight and smooth surfaces that may stand out when burried only partially.
In the mine body a 140 gram ring shaped TNT charge (yellow) is placed, surrounded by a cement ring with cast in steel balls. In the center of the explosive charge a flanged plastic pipe is placed with a firing cap in top of the pipe. A brass pipe with a three seconds pyrotechnic delay is placed below the firing cap. A brass tube with a short pyrotechnic delay is placed in the flange. Over this short delay the detonator is placed in a recess in the explosive charge.
A pointed bakelite cap is placed in a hole in the base of the mine body; it contains 1,2 grams of black powder used to launch the mine upward after activation.
The fuze used on the mine is the pressure and pull fuze P.S.51. The pull fuze and the pressure fuze are both activated by means of the slider. The base of the slider has four brass fingers (pict 05) which are placed in a groove in the firing pin. When stepped upon, the firing pin being pushed down bends the four fingers downward, releasing the firing pin, when used as a pull fuze the four fingers are pulled out of the groove sideways, releasing the firing pin. The required force to activate the pressure fuze is between 12 and 20 kg, the required pull force on the trip wire is between 2 and 5 kg.
Functioning of the mine:
If the tripwire is pulled, either the mine is stepped upon, the spring loaded firing pin moves down into the firing cap. The firing cap ignites the three seconds pyrotechnic delay, allowing a person acivating the pressure fuze to step off the mine before it is launched upward. When the three seconds delay is expired, the 1,2 gram powdercharge is ignited and two things happen instantaniously; The mine is launched upward and the short delay pyrotechnic delay for the detonator is initiated. At approximately half a meter above the ground the mine detonates projecting the steel balls 360 degrees around. The mine is lethal up to a 15 meter radius with the balls reaching a height of 1,8 mtr due to the shape of the explosive charge.
The diameter of the mine is 127mm, the height of the mine (without fuze) is 101mm, the height of the mine with fuse P.S.51 placed is 156mm.
The weight of the mine is 1,4 kg.
Regards, DJH
In the mine body a 140 gram ring shaped TNT charge (yellow) is placed, surrounded by a cement ring with cast in steel balls. In the center of the explosive charge a flanged plastic pipe is placed with a firing cap in top of the pipe. A brass pipe with a three seconds pyrotechnic delay is placed below the firing cap. A brass tube with a short pyrotechnic delay is placed in the flange. Over this short delay the detonator is placed in a recess in the explosive charge.
A pointed bakelite cap is placed in a hole in the base of the mine body; it contains 1,2 grams of black powder used to launch the mine upward after activation.
The fuze used on the mine is the pressure and pull fuze P.S.51. The pull fuze and the pressure fuze are both activated by means of the slider. The base of the slider has four brass fingers (pict 05) which are placed in a groove in the firing pin. When stepped upon, the firing pin being pushed down bends the four fingers downward, releasing the firing pin, when used as a pull fuze the four fingers are pulled out of the groove sideways, releasing the firing pin. The required force to activate the pressure fuze is between 12 and 20 kg, the required pull force on the trip wire is between 2 and 5 kg.
Functioning of the mine:
If the tripwire is pulled, either the mine is stepped upon, the spring loaded firing pin moves down into the firing cap. The firing cap ignites the three seconds pyrotechnic delay, allowing a person acivating the pressure fuze to step off the mine before it is launched upward. When the three seconds delay is expired, the 1,2 gram powdercharge is ignited and two things happen instantaniously; The mine is launched upward and the short delay pyrotechnic delay for the detonator is initiated. At approximately half a meter above the ground the mine detonates projecting the steel balls 360 degrees around. The mine is lethal up to a 15 meter radius with the balls reaching a height of 1,8 mtr due to the shape of the explosive charge.
The diameter of the mine is 127mm, the height of the mine (without fuze) is 101mm, the height of the mine with fuse P.S.51 placed is 156mm.
The weight of the mine is 1,4 kg.
Regards, DJH
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