| From: | Steve Collins einan@*********.net |
|---|---|
| Subject: | More story stuff - Rat, do NOT look |
| Date: | Thu, 23 Sep 99 00:28:29 -0400 |
>
>
>Rand Ratinac wrote:
>>
>> > | Guys, how exactly do FAE (Fuel-Air Explosives)
>> work? Can I get an explanation in both technical and
>> layman's terms?
>> > |
>> > | Thanks.
>> > |
>> > | ====>> > | Doc'
>> >
>> > IIRC, it permeates the air with an explosive gas,
>> and then sets it off, but I'm sure there's people on
>> this list that know much more about it than myself.
>> >
>> > ---Dave ('s not here man)
>>
>> Well, from what I've seen and heard it apparently uses
>> the fuel to ignite the air (or possibly the oxygen in
>> the air) itself - but that's really iffy and I need
>> much more concrete data than that - which is why I'm
>> asking.
>>
>
><snippydip>
>
>Well, iIrc, FAE's spread fuel (hence the "F") in very fine drops
>over an area, thus creating an aerosol. So you got a really large
>volume of air, mixed with fuel. This mixture is then ignited,
>creating quite a big explosion.
>
>The aftereffects are:
>-Rapid contraction of the affected airmass afterwards
>-Absence of almost all oxygen in the area
>-(anything I might have missed above [which is probably a lot...])
>
/delurk
Ok if you take a barrel of gasolene outside and take the cover off then
throw in a lit match what happens? Maybe you start a fire but there is no
explosion, more likely the match just goes out. Why? there isn't enough
gasoline, heat and oxygen conatined at any point to cause one. Now take
ordinary flour and pour some into a bucket and shake it up, then before
all the dust settles throw in a match. Be quick to get back though unless
you want to loose your eyebrows because if you do it right it will
explode.
Things is a gasseous or aerosol state are much more explosive than the
same material in a liquid state (not including explosives that provide
their own oxidization agents). An explosion of any type is basically just
a REALLY fast fire. The problem you get into when trying to ignite a
liquid is that as the first molecules combust and create heat they tend
to push the surrounding oxygen away from the fuel source preventing more
molecules from reacting with it and damping the explosion (possibly even
extinguishing it before it gets started).
In a fuel Air Explosive this problem is solved by filling the air with a
large volume of fuel vapour then igniting the center. Now as the heatwave
expands there is still fuel there to be reacted with the oxygen creating
even more heat until ALL of the fuel is combusted gettng maximum
efficiency in the explosion.
The net result in a well constructed one is to create a tremendous shock
and heatwave very similar to the one created by a small nuclear blast,
and because nearly all of the air in the blast area has been blown out in
that shockwave a near vaccum is left behind creating another shockwave a
second or two later as the air rushes back in. If I remember correctly
the ones the US uses are in the 6 to 15 Kiloton range but are too large
to be dropped by anything smaller than a C-130. That would put them close
in destructive power to Hiroshima which was about 20Kt. The thing is that
a cheap inefficient yet effictive one can be made by anybody with a
little knowledge. You just need a gasseous or dust like fuel source, a
reasonably enclosed envrionment, and some kind of ignition device (remote
is prefered unless Suicide is acceptable). Release the fuel and wait a
few minutes for it to disburse fully then set off the ignition device.
Depending on the specifics of the situation getting an explosion the
equivilant of 1 to 2 tons of TNT shouldn't be that hard. Easily enough to
destroy just about any small to midsized building.
I'll hold off on reactivating lurk mode for a while as I will actually be
playing SR for the first time in a while soon.
Steve
