Anti-Mine Pad With Convex Blast-Energy Redirection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing anti-personnel mine protection systems are bulky, heavy, inconvenient for transportation, and do not effectively redirect and absorb the destructive energy of explosions, potentially causing serious injuries and activating magnetic mines.

Innovation Solution

An anti-mine pad with a rigid polymeric inner frame and outer shell, featuring a convex lower surface and support legs that redirect and absorb explosion energy, allowing easy separation from footwear, and made without metal to avoid shard formation and magnetic activation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a rigid horizontal platform with support legs is used to protect against mines, then protection effectiveness is improved, but weight and bulkiness increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection effectivenessVSAvoidweight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The lower surface of the platform is given a convex curved shape instead of being flat, which redirects explosion energy away from the foot and reduces the platform's material requirements, thereby decreasing weight while maintaining protection effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The platform is constructed using thin-walled polymeric materials that provide sufficient structural strength for mine protection while significantly reducing weight compared to traditional rigid materials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Reliability

If support legs are arranged with contact points outside the platform, then explosion energy redirection is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexplosion energy redirectionVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The support legs are integrated as integral parts of the platform structure rather than separate components, simplifying the overall device while maintaining the beneficial geometric arrangement for explosion energy redirection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Strength

If metal materials are used in the protective structure, then structural strength is improved, but magnetic mine activation risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidmagnetic mine activation risk

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The material composition is changed from metal to non-metallic polymeric materials, fundamentally altering the material parameters to eliminate magnetic properties while maintaining structural strength through optimized geometry and material selection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The structure uses composite polymeric materials that combine strength, flexibility, and lightweight properties, achieving the necessary structural performance without the harmful magnetic effects of metal materials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The anti-mine pad effectively reduces the impact of explosions, maintains stability during movement, and prevents serious injuries by redirecting and absorbing explosion energy while being lightweight and easy to transport.

Implementation Method 1

aerodynamic shape in order to decrease the influence of explosion striking factors

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectEnergy absorption: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 2

When a human foot contacts a blast anti-personnel mine, an explosive substance will detonate

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectExplosion: Explosion

Implementation Method 3

made without metal to avoid shard formation and magnetic activation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMaterial properties:

Data Source

PatentUS12455148B2Anti-mine pad “SafeStep”

Publication Date: 2025.10.28 MINIAILUK SERGII

AI summary

Invention is an anti-mine pad for protecting legs against anti-personnel pressure-type mines. The pad comprises a rigid horizontal platform, support legs and footwear-fastening elements. The platform has an upper surface for footwear and a lower convex surface. The lower convex protrusion's vertex faces downwards. The platform's lower surface lacks parallel planes when projecting a human foot relative to the upper surface. The support legs provide a space between the platform and the ground. Contact points between the support legs and the ground are outside the platform. The arrangement height of the platform's upper surface above the ground is 40-99 mm. Rigid polymeric material of the pad's inner frame has a greater rigidity than an outer shell's material. The pad protects the human foot against explosions of the anti-personnel pressure-type mines, has small weight, dimensions, is convenient for transportation, easily taken off/worn and reliably hold the user on a surface.