The three properties that make depleted uranium useful in penetrating weapons are its: Depleted uranium is used, for example, in boats and airplanes as ballast. ![]() In its solid form, it is not particularly dangerous because its half-life is 4.5 billion years, meaning that the atomic decay is very slow. U-238 is a radioactive metal that produces alpha and beta particles. The U-235 is what is needed to produce nuclear power (see How Nuclear Power Plants Work for details), so the uranium is refined to extract the U-235 and create "enriched uranium." The U-238 that is left over is known as "depleted uranium." Natural uranium from a mine contains two isotopes: U-235 and U-238. The dart has so much kinetic energy and is so strong that it is able to pierce the strongest armor plating.ĭepleted uranium is a by-product of the nuclear power industry. These 10-pound (4.5-kg) darts are 2 feet (61 cm) long, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter and leave the barrel of the tank's cannon traveling at over 1 mile (1.6 km) per second. For example, the M829 is an armor-piercing "dart" fired from the cannon of an M1 tank. DU is the material of choice for penetrating weapons because of these properties. One material that is both extremely strong and extremely dense is depleted uranium. The finished bomb, known as the GBU-28 or the BLU-113, is 19 feet (5.8 meters) long, 14.5 inches (36.8 cm) in diameter and weighs 4,400 pounds (1,996 kg).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |