Patent attributes
A band track for a tracked vehicle having enhanced resistance to mines includes a plurality of track pad units disposed on the bearing surface of the track band. The track pad units have extended end walls of sufficient height to distance the vulnerable portion of the band track from the shearing force of an exploding mine. These end walls are sufficiently strong to support the vehicle as it traverses terrain, but are configured to collapse in controlled manner under the force of an exploding mine. Such explosion forces a specifically configured front end wall of a trailing track pad to engage the matingly configured end wall of the leading track pad. The resulting mating juxtaposition of the adjacent end walls forms a relatively continuous physical barrier protecting the vulnerable section of the band track from shrapnel and other entrained ejecta of the explosion.
