[TheForge] Weird nucular facts

[Demon Buddha]

mpaietta wrote:

> I wonder if DU rounds are like thorated tungsten for TIGs?
> For those that don't know there are different Tungsten you
> can use in a TIG and thorated is one which is mildly radio
> active. On it's own it is fine, but when it is ground for to
> make the tip, you get radioactive dust. What do you think
> happens to DU rounds when they slam in to other metal. 

	DU rounds liquefy on impact.  They penetrate because of the density and 
resulting momentum, which is applied to a very small area.  As it 
enters, say, the turret of a tank it does so as a shower of molten armor 
and uranium.  A lot of it is atomized into very fine particles that go 
all over the place.

	As someone noted earlier, the greatest hazard posed by elements such as 
uranium and plutonium is usually not the radiation but the extreme 
chemical toxicity of the heavy metal.