The Misnay–Schardin effect, or platter effect, is a characteristic of the detonation of a broad sheet of
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 ex ...
.
Description
Explosive blasts expand directly away from, and
perpendicular
In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ...
to, the surface of an explosive. Unlike the blast from a rounded explosive charge, which expands in all directions, the blast produced by an explosive sheet expands primarily perpendicular to its plane, in both directions. However, if one side is backed by a heavy or fixed mass, most of the blast (i.e. most of the rapidly expanding gas and its kinetic energy) will be reflected in the direction away from the mass.
Uses
The Misnay–Schardin effect was studied and experimented with by explosive experts József Misnay (sometimes spelled Misznay incorrectly), a
Hungarian, and
Hubert Schardin
Hubert Hermann Reinhold Schardin (17 June 1902 Plassow – 27 September 1965 in Freiburg im Breisgau) was a German ballistics expert, engineer and academic who studied in the field of high-speed photography and cinematography.
He also was the d ...
, a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, who initially sought to develop a more effective antitank mine for
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. Some sources claim that
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
ended before their design became usable, but they and others continued their work. Misnay designed two weapons: the
43M TAK antitank mine and the
44M LŐTAK side-attack mine. The Hungarian army used these weapons in 1944–1945.
The later
AT2 and
M18 Claymore mines rely on this effect.
[''Jane's Mines And Mine Clearance 2006/2007'', Colin King, Jane's Information Group, 2006, p. 31.]
See also
*
High-explosive squash head
A high-explosive squash head (HESH), in British terminology, or a high-explosive plastic/plasticized (HEP), in American terminology, is a type of explosive projectile with plastic explosive that conforms to the surface of a target before detonat ...
*
Explosively formed penetrator
An explosively formed penetrator (EFP), also known as an explosively formed projectile, a self-forging warhead, or a self-forging fragment, is a special type of shaped charge designed to penetrate armor effectively, from a much greater standoff ...
*
Munroe effect
A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped 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, ...
*
M93 Hornet mine
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Misnay-Schardin effect
Explosives