Journal of Mine Action - Issue 11.1

Contents *=20
Edit= orials=20 *=20
Focus=20 *=20
Feature= =20 *=20
Making=20 It Personal *=20
Notes=20 from
the Field *=20
Profil= es=20 *=20
Researc= h and=20 Development *=20
News=20 Briefs *

International Symposium Draws 170 = Participants

by Lois Carter Fay [ Mine Action Information = Center ]

About 150 people watched the outdoor demonstration of = demining=20 machines. Photo courtesy of MineWolf Systems

Lois Carter Fay with Jawher Omer of the Iraqi Kurdistan = Mine=20 Action Agency at the machine demonstration. Photo courtesy of Donald = Crawford

The Samson 300 is a manned machine that became totally = engulfed in=20 dust, making it nearly impossible for the operator to see where he was = going.=20 Photos courtesy of Lois Carter Fay

The flail machines really stirred up the dust as shown = in this=20 photo of the Samson 300 in action.

Very acceptable fiberboard results of the Mini MineWolf. = Photos courtesy of MineWolf Systems

An unacceptable result from another machine.

Numerous key figures in mine action recently gathered in Croatia = to=20 attend the international symposium, "Humanitarian Demining = 2007=96Mechanical=20 Demining." The symposium featured several presentations on demining, = including a=20 live field demonstration, discussed in detail here.

The symposium, "Humanitarian Demining 2007=96Mechanical Demining," = held in=20 Sibenik, Republic of Croatia, at the end of April 2007,¹ had=20 something for everyone. There were 170 people from 35 countries = registered for=20 the week-long conference, and each presentation drew a minimum of 100=20 participants. The donor, manufacturing, governmental, research and = development,=20 testing and evaluation, and user communities were represented at the=20 symposium.

Topics covered use of demining machines in area reduction, = cost-effectiveness=20 of using demining machines, risk management, machine methods and use in=20 combination with other demining methods, along with a few miscellaneous=20 subjects. Everything was presented in Croatian and English using live=20 translators and state-of-the-art audio headsets in the Congress Center = of the=20 Solaris Holiday Resort. An exhibit room housed posters and trade booths = for=20 various demining machines and their respective manufacturers.

The conference was hosted by the Croatian Mine Action Center=96Center = for=20 Testing, Development and Training (HCR=96CTRO), with assistance provided = by the=20 United Nations Mine Action Service and the Programme Planning=20 Committee.² This was the fourth symposium in a series of = meetings=20 hosted by Croatia.

Field Day

The most interesting presentation at the conference was the = demonstration=20 held 25 April. Participants were shuttled to the outdoor demonstration = site and=20 seated comfortably to safely view the demonstration without exposure to = the hot=20 sun or flying debris.

This machine and quality-control demonstration took place offsite in = a very=20 dry, hard, light-vegetation, dirt terrain that had been specially = readied for=20 the demonstration with two detonation imitations prepared for remote = activation=20 emplaced to varying depths and three fiberboard boards buried to a depth = of at=20 least 20 centimeters (7.87 inches) in each 50-meter (55-yard) lane. The=20 temperature that day was 25 C (77 F).

Seven of the machines demonstrated were remote-controlled; three were = manned.=20 The demining machines tested were divided into categories as = follows:

Heavy Machines:=20
- MineWolf (tiller, manned)
Medium Machines:=20
- DOK-ING MV-10 (flail and tiller)=20
- Bozena-5 (flail)=20
- RM-KA 02 (flail)=20
- Samson 300 (flail, manned)=20
- Mini MineWolf (tiller)=20
- M-FV 2 500/770 (flail; manned)
Light Machines:=20
- MV-4 (flail)=20
- Bozena 4 (flail)

Testing proceeded one machine at a time, with each traveling down and = back in=20 its 50-meter (55-yard) lane, clearing two rows. The machines' = performances were=20 timed, and when all completed the demonstration, the fiberboards used = for=20 testing were dug up and measured. The clearance-depth goal for each = machine was=20 20 centimeters (7.9 inches).

The Results

Preliminary results were presented at the conference; see Table 1 = below for=20 average ground-penetration depth of the equipment = demonstrated.³=20 CROMAC plans to publish the final results in its Book of Papers during = the=20 summer 2007, which will be sent to participants and posted = simultaneously on its=20 Web site, http://www.ctro.hr/.

3D"Table
Table 1: Preliminary results of the equipment = demonstration.=20 Graphic courtesy of MAIC

Conclusion

The organizers followed a very strict testing procedure in accordance = with=20 international testing standards, which contributed to the overall = results being=20 regarded as representative under testing conditions. In these = conditions, there=20 was an astonishing difference between the flail and the tiller. It = became=20 apparent in the case of the flail that under dry conditions the = operations are=20 heavily affected by limited visibility due to dust. Whether the machines = were=20 remote-controlled or manned, lack of visibility affected the performance = of the=20 operators because they couldn't see where to "drive" the machine.

The two Bozena flail machines both adequately cleared the test lanes, = although the Bozena-4 was the slowest machine, clearing to an average = depth of=20 19.44 centimeters (7.65 inches) in a total time of 26.10 minutes. The = Bozena-5=20 flail cleared its lane to an average depth of 25.06 centimeters (9.87 = inches) in=20 16.53 minutes. Both Bozena machines were unmanned.

The superiority of the two MineWolf tillers in terms of clearance = capacity=20 was indisputable among observers. The larger MineWolf cleared the two = 50-meter=20 (55-foot) lanes in 5.35 minutes. This rate corresponds to an hourly = clearance=20 capacity of 3,328 square meters (3,980 square yards). It also seemed = that having=20 the machine manned adds to more control when operating. The Mini = MineWolf, on=20 the other hand, received positive remarks for very good clearance = results=20 despite its compact size. The machine cleared consistently to a depth of = over 20=20 centimeters (7.87 inches).

Although the MineWolf and Mini MineWolf tillers demonstrated superior = results=20 under these test conditions, the use of a flail is sometimes preferred = in=20 certain circumstances, for example, shallow top soil over bedrock. For = this=20 reason the MineWolf machines may also be fitted with a flail, according = to the=20 manufacturer.⁴

"Humanitarian Demining 2007=96Mechanical Demining" was a = well-organized and=20 important symposium for the international mine-action community. In just = one=20 week, participants from 35 countries learned the value of various = demining=20 technologies and had the opportunity to witness a number of demining = machines in=20 action. Several people commented that the controlled nature of the = testing made=20 it very easy to follow and comprehend. Each participant of the symposium = will=20 take this experience back to his or her country to continue making = progress in=20 the field of humanitarian demining.

The author would like to express special thanks to Sanja Vakula = and=20 Nikola Pavkovic of HCR-CTRO and Carl Fenger of MineWolf Systems for = their=20 assistance in clarifying details of the demonstration.

Biography

3DHeadshot=20 Lois Carter Fay joined the Journal of Mine Action = as=20 Editor-in-Chief in 2005 and more recently has also served as Project = Manager on=20 the Adaptive Technology Catalog project. She is an accredited=20 public-relations professional and holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology = from=20 the University of Wisconsin=96Milwaukee.

Endnotes

For more information about the demining symposium, visit http://www.ctr= o.hr/konferencija/eng/app_form.html.=20
The members of the Programme Planning Committee were CROMAC, = HR-CTRO,=20 International Test and Evaluation Program for Humanitarian Demining, = Geneva=20 International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and United Mine Action = Service.=20
The demonstration analysis, presented at the international = symposium=20 "Humanitarian Demining 2007=96Mechanical Demining" on 26 April 2007 by = Ivan=20 =8Ateker and Tomislav Ban, HCR-CTRO.=20
E-mail from Carl Fenger, 23 May 2007.

Contact Information

Lois Carter Fay, APR
Editor-in-Chief/Project Manager =
Journal of=20 Mine Action
Tel: +1 540 568 2503
Cell: +1 540 820 3840 =
Fax: +1=20 540 568 8176
E-mail: editormaic@gmail.com

Carl Fenger
Marketing Manager
MineWolf Systems AG =
Seedammstrasse=20 3
8808 Pf=E4ffikon SZ / Switzerland
Tel: +41 555 111 515 =
Fax: +41 555=20 111 599
Mobile: +41 793 719 831
E-mail: c.fenger@minewolf.com
Web = site: http://www.minewolf.com/

JMA * MAIC * Staff=20