Test Methods for Protective Footwear Against AP Mine Blast

The testing and development of protective footwear for anti-personnel landmine blast threats is of great importance to civilian and military deminers, and peacekeepers. This study will review the wide range of test methods that have been developed by NATO countries to test footwear against the effects of anti-personnel blast mines. Experimental testing requires the definition of a threat and a means of assessing the expected trauma to the human leg. The latter is accomplished with various physical models to represent the human leg. These models include simple metal columns, mechanical legs, frangible legs and biological specimens. Each model has advantages and disadvantages, and the choice must b