Camouflet
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A camouflet, in
military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...
, is an artificial
cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...
rn created by an
explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...
; if the resulting structure is open to the surface it is called a
crater A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...
. The term was originally defined as a countermine dug by defenders to prevent the undermining of a fortress's walls during a
siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
. The defenders would dig a tunnel under the attackers' tunnel. An
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 ...
charge would be detonated to create a camouflet that would collapse the attackers' tunnel. More recently, the term has been used to describe the effects of very large bombs like the Grand Slam bomb, which are designed to penetrate next to a large target structure and create a camouflet to undermine the foundations of the structure. It has been observed that it is more efficient to penetrate ground next to the target than to hit the target directly. A camouflet set describes a system used in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
for cratering tracks and other routes. A tube is driven into the ground using a manual post driver. The end of the tube is a disposable steel point. A small charge connected to a detonator is lowered down the tube. The tube is then removed, and the hole tamped. The charge is then blown, leaving a void and a hole to the surface. This void is then filled with a much larger charge, which is also tamped, and then blown when required to create a crater as an obstacle. A refinement was introduced in the 1980s, with the use of a shaped charge to create the initial hole. Because of the presence of high levels of toxic fumes from the explosive, including
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...
, and the weakness of the soft earth overlying the cavern, camouflets are extremely hazardous to
bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fun ...
personnel.


See also

* Bangalore torpedo * Canadian pipe mine *
Flame fougasse A flame fougasse (sometimes contracted to Fougasse (weapon), fougasse and may be spelled foo gas) is a type of land mine, mine or improvised explosive device which uses an explosive charge to project burning liquid onto a target. The flame foug ...
* Special Atomic Demolition Munition


References

{{reflist Siege tactics Military engineering Military strategy Bomb disposal Strategic bombing