The C3A1 and C3A2 (collectively known as the Elsie) are Canadian minimum metal

anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the latter ma ...

s. The difference between them is very minor and hard to distinguish visually. Elsie mines were first deployed by Canada in 1962, by the United States in 1965 and by Japan in 1967.

Appearance

The mine resembles a short, stubby

carrot The carrot (''Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nati ...

in appearance. Generally, Elsie mines are either coloured black or

khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...

for use in desert environments. Elsie mines can easily be spray painted to blend in with an arctic or jungle scenario. The training version of the Elsie mine is coloured blue.

Operation

An Elsie mine has a small raised pressure plate on the top surface of the mine which is covered with a small pad of flock material. The flocking material is designed to act as

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

. Sustained downward pressure on the small pressure plate (by the victim's foot) cocks a spring-loaded striker. When the pressure plate has been pressed down approximately 2.5 cm, a single retaining

ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

flips side-ways into a recess. When the ball bearing flips side-ways, it frees the striker (held under tension by a coiled spring beneath it) which snaps upwards into the stab

detonator A detonator, frequently a blasting cap, is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the last two being the most common. The commercial use of explosives uses electri ...

, thereby detonating the

explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

charge.

Construction

An Elsie mine is constructed mainly from plastic, which makes it difficult to detect. The mine comprises two separate items; the body and charge. The body is fitted with a protective

dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...

cap, which is removed in order to insert the charge. Around the shaft of the charge there is a restraining safety clip to prevent it moving downwards whilst in transit, which could accidentally trigger detonation. The safety clip is removed when the mine is emplaced, at which point the mine becomes armed and will detonate if someone steps on it. Elsie mines are supplied with an

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

detector ring fitted. However, the ring is designed to be easily removed, and without it the mine becomes a minimal metal mine. The Elsie mine is one of very few anti-personnel mines which use a

shaped charge A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, init ...

. As can be seen from the specification below, the explosive filling is unusually small (i.e. weighs 9.45 grams) compared to most other anti-personnel mine designs, which generally contain a minimum of 30

gram The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to th ...

s of

high explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

s. However, the shaped charge in the Elsie mine ensures that most of the force of

detonation Detonation () is a type of combustion involving a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations propagate supersonically through shock waves with s ...

is directed upwards. As a result, it can penetrate a 12 ply vehicle tyre or 3/8 inch (approx 9 mm) mild steel plate. A person who has been injured by an Elsie mine generally has a small, deep, circular penetration wound which extends all the way through the bones of their foot and out the other side. The wound is generally severe and debilitating, though rarely fatal - assuming that prompt emergency medical care is provided. In contrast to other anti-personnel mines (e.g. the PMN series), the Elsie is designed primarily to

disable Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, s ...

its victims, rather than kill them. Due to the simplicity of the firing mechanism, the Elsie mine is not resistant to blast-clearing methods, unlike other designs such as the

VS-MK2 mine {{One source, date=August 2013 The VS-MK-2 is a plastic bodied scatterable anti-personnel blast mine manufactured by the now-defunct Valsella Meccanotecnica, SpA, an Italian high-tech defence contractor that specialized in the development and pro ...

. The Elsie mine was formerly in service with the Canadian and British armed services, and was manufactured by both nations. However, all stocks of anti-personnel mines (together with any component parts and equipment related to their manufacture etc.) have been destroyed by Canada and the UK, in order to comply with the

Ottawa Treaty The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of 1997, known informally as the Ottawa Treaty, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or often simply the Mine ...

Specifications

* Diameter: 51 mm * Height: 76 mm * Weight: 80 grams * Explosive content: 9.45 g of Composition A5 - (98.5%

RDX RDX (abbreviation of "Research Department eXplosive") or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (O2N2CH2)3. It is a white solid without smell or taste, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified as a n ...

mixed with 1.5%

stearic acid Stearic acid ( , ) is a saturated fatty acid with an 18-carbon chain. The IUPAC name is octadecanoic acid. It is a waxy solid and its chemical formula is C17H35CO2H. Its name comes from the Greek word στέαρ "''stéar''", which means tallow. ...

) * Operating pressure: 7.25 to 13.6 kg

Variants

* C3A1 - has an explosive filling of

tetryl 2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine commonly referred to as tetryl ( C7 H5 N5 O8) is an explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Tetryl is a nitramine booster explosive, though its use has been largely superseded ...

* C3A2 - has an explosive filling of Comp A5 * C4A1 - non-lethal practice version, coloured blue with a spotting charge inside it * M25 - A United States copy of the mine * Type 67 - A Japanese copy of the mine

References

* Eddie Banks, ''Brassey's Essential Guide to Anti-Personnel Landmines'' * ''Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005-2006''

External links

Photos and additional information re. the Elsie mineCross-sectional view of the Elsie mine
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711022108/http://www.fototime.com/4FA91B2152EB268/standard.jpg , date=2011-07-11 Anti-personnel mines Weapons of Canada