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megalomania
June 26th, 2003, 11:42 AM
angelo
Frequent Poster
Posts: 282
From:
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 23, 2001 11:47 PM
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I need help!
I would like any and all information on trip flares. Mainly on how they work and how to disarm them.

The hard thing is I need to know all this in about 4 days. After which I will be gone for afew days.


Thans in advance for any help you guys (and girls) can give me.

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angelo's place
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SMAG 12B/E5
Frequent Poster
Posts: 61
From:
Registered: FEB 2001
posted March 24, 2001 08:43 PM
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There are quite a few types of trip flares. One of the most common US trip flare is a M-?? designed for ground use. The body is ~1.5 in dia by ~4 in and is mounted in a bracket adapting it to various mounting schemes. The striker is similiar to the common hand grenade strider, held by a similiar spoon which is itself retained by safety pins. The spoon is also held by a pull/release toggle and is very sensitive in this mode. Disarm carefully. These devices are loaded with a pyrotechnique mixture similiar to ariel flares, probably barium nitrate, magnaloy and linseed oil and are very incindiary. Being very careful of the trip wire, look for the positive safety pin hole on top of the fuze. Insert a stiff wire pin to retain spoon, fuze is instantanous!!!


c0deblue
Frequent Poster
Posts: 229
From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted March 24, 2001 11:57 PM
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Good information SMAG. I found loads of references to the M-49 and M-49A1 types, but unfortunately none provided mechanical details. One document (a military proficiency test) *seemed* to indicate a rotating sleeve of some sort may be used as part of the arming mechanism (in conjunction with the spoon and pin), but it was only mentioned in the one document and I wasn't able to verify it. Any idea what that might be? Obviously any uncertainty could be dangerous to someone attempting to safety one of these things in the dark.


angelo
Frequent Poster
Posts: 282
From:
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 25, 2001 05:36 AM
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I was looking for info on the flares the Australian army uses. Would it be the same?
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angelo's place
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SATANIC
Frequent Poster
Posts: 232
From: australia
Registered: SEP 2000
posted March 27, 2001 02:31 AM
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i've got a pic of the aussie army trip flare, it's green with a few coloured bands around it, and a striker and long wire curled over for some reason. is this to stop it being fired by leaves (pressure release?) ? it's only about 15 cm long and 2 wide.

Tom Sawyer
February 3rd, 2006, 10:02 AM
The M49A1 surface flare is held to a tree, etc via a metal bracket which also serves as a pull switch for the tripwire. Essentially, the "grenade" spoon on the flare body is held in place by a small piece of spring-loaded shaped wire on a pivot. When the tripwire is kicked (or cut) it moves the shaped wire from the vertical position to a horizontal position, allowing the "grenade" spoon on the flare body to release. The flare burns with a very bright light and melts the flare body. Luckily for those who accidentally venture into state forests while troops are on exercise and army training areas, the reusable fuses can be quite easily located, as can the spoons and the brackets. I once had a dream about a red-bull can filled to the brim with cut down sparklers with a bit of safety match composition dumped on top as a first fire mixture. In the same dream, a reloaded M49A1 surface flare fuse was used to initiate it. Seemed to work well, although the can was too big for the bracket. Anyone who doubts the use of sparklers as a flare composition for improvised surface flares, need only purchase three packets, tie them together with wire and ignite them at night. Sparklers are not as good as flare composition, but they'll do the job.

A diagram of the M49A1 surface flare can be found here: http://www.tpub.com/content/explosives/TM-43-0001-37/img/TM-43-0001-37_32_1.jpg