[TheForge] armour was (Re: OT rant (armor))

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 TristerK at aol.com wrote:

trister>
trister> writes:
trister> depleted uranium plate.
trister> ????
trister>

actually that was me who wrote that.
yes, depleted uranium is used for armour plate.

some abrams tanks have enhanced depleted uranium armour.

depleted uranium is u-238. not that radioactive unless bombarded with
neutrons. which under the right conditions could cause the u-238 to
change to plutonium-239. that is what occurs in a fast-breeder reactor.
a blanket of u-238 is changed to plutonium-239 when the u-238 absorbs a
neutron and under goes two beta decays. plutonium-239 is fissionable.
uranium-238 is not fissionable.

the government has vast quantities of u-238. the by-product of enriching
uranium for nuclear power. need u-235 for the standard nuclear reactors.

trister>
trister> DU Armor? Right next to the magnesium plate and just down the aisle from the 
trister> sheets of C4 we use to protect the gas tanks.
trister>
trister> 

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>