Just as the thin bodywork of a conventional car can protect against a small blast, so it may stop or deflect fragmentation from small devices, or from larger devices a long way away.
The weakest point of a standard vehicle is the glass. When struck by fragments it may shatter or simply be penetrated. When struck by sufficient blast it will shatter and each bit of glass will become a sharp edged fragment moving at high speed.
MPVs have to protect their occupants against both Blast and Fragments. These are very different threats. Let me illustrate this. A flexible Kevlar armour is put inside the door panel of a conventional Toyota 4x4. It can stop a rated calibre of rifle ammunition at a set distance with complete reliability. But just down the road a large blast is initiated alongside the vehicle. The door with its fragmentation panel is not penetrated. It is flattened and driven sideways, squashing you against the opposite door and moving both doors 20 metres sideways with what is left of you wedged in between. The armour worked, but provided no protection.
A good MPV will also protect its occupants against blast overpressure (generally a problem when blast forces get in and cannot readily get out of the passenger area) and heat (associated with the detonation but also with any resultant fire).
Design requirements
Protecting against blast
Protecting against fragmentation
Protecting against shaped charges
The survivability of materials
Aftermarket armouring
Bolt on armour plates
Blast (ballistic) blankets
Real Mine Protected Vehicles (MPVs)
See also Machines in demining at the Powerpoint downloads page.
Return to Introducing demining.