Self-destruct

Self-destruct is a mechanism (protocol or device) that can cause an object to destroy itself within a predefined set of circumstances. The self-destruct mechanism is usually the most complete way to destroy the object. For that reason the self-destruct mechanism can be used to destroy objects that are meant to be discarded.

Self-destruct mechanisms are found on devices and systems where malfunction could endanger large numbers of people.

Some types of modern land mines are designed to self-destruct, or chemically render themselves inert after a period of weeks or months to reduce the likelihood of friendly casualties during the conflict or civilian casualties after the conflict's end. The Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), amended in 1996, requires that anti-personnel land mines deactivate and self-destruct, and sets standards for both. Land mines currently used by the United States military are designed to self-destruct between 4 hours and 15 days depending upon the type. The land mines have a battery and when the battery dies, the land mine self-destructs. The self-destruct system never failed in over 67,000 tested land mines in a variety of conditions. Not all self-destruct mechanisms are absolutely reliable, and most land mines that have been laid throughout history are not equipped to self-destruct. Land mines can also be designed to self-deactivate, for instance by a battery running out of a charge, but deactivation is considered a different mechanism from self-destruction.

For example, the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters were equipped with explosive charges so that the boosters could be destroyed in the event that control was lost on launch and a populated area was in danger. This feature can be seen in videos of the Challenger disaster. After the initial disintegration of the shuttle, the two solid rocket boosters continued firing until they exploded simultaneously 37 seconds later. This occurred when the Range Safety Officer decided that the separated boosters had the potential to endanger those on the ground and activated the self-destruct system.

Another form of a self-destruct system can be seen in the naval procedure of scuttling, which is used to destroy a ship or ships to prevent them from being seized and/or reverse engineered.

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