Saddle Charge (fig 1)

General. The saddle charge is used for cutting steel bars and shafts 5.08 — 20.32 cm in diameter. Turbine and propeller shafts, if motionless, are examples of targets on which saddle charges can be used. The saddle charge achieves results by employing what is known as the "cross fracture." The fracture forms below the base of this triangular shaped charge, cutting the steel target.

Preparation. The saddle charge is shaped to form an Isosceles triangle. The short axis (base) is one-half the circumference of the target. The long axis is twice the length on the base. The depth or thickness of the sliced plastic explosive is one-third a block of C4 for targets 1 5 centimeters and less in diameter; one-half a block of C4 if more than 15 centimeters and less than 20 centimeters for the hardest steel. Thicknesses less than 2.54 centimeters may be used for milder steels. The charge is primed at the apex of the triangle. To protect the charge en route to the target, wrap it in a thin layer of paper, tinfoil or parachute cloth; insure that no more than one layer of material is between charge and target.