Re: Letter to Congressman McDermott by Leuren Moret

["Phil Hypes" <laradcon@HOTMAIL.COM>]

I'm certain some fraction of the penetrator's mass is vaporized and burns, 

but it's propably usually a *very* small fraction.  Most DU rounds that pass 

completely through an armored vehicle come out the other side looking like 

they could be reloaded and fired again.  They are that unaffected by passing 

through the target.



Any burning DU is a trivial concern inside an armored vehicle that has been 

hit by a DU round.  The shrapnel, hydrualic fluids, and other 

life-threatening hazards are the real concern, not a few measley particles 

of DU.



Phil Hypes

Los Alamos Radiation Consultants

laradcon@hotmail.com

505.920.9712



----Original Message Follows----

From: Ted de Castro <tdc@XRAYTED.COM>

Reply-To: Ted de Castro <tdc@XRAYTED.COM>

To: Jeffries Cameron <jeffriesc@epa.nsw.gov.au>

CC: "'BobCherry@AOL.COM'" <BobCherry@AOL.COM>, radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: Re: Letter to Congressman McDermott by Leuren Moret

Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 06:12:29 -0800



YES - THEY DO!  The friction of passing through the armor causes the

pyrophoric DU to ignite.  That is one reason US tanks use multi layer Al

for armor instead of steel.



 > Jeffries Cameron wrote:

 >

 > I can't believe these people think that DU rounds burn. They are

 > Armour Piecing rounds and rely on having a dense, penetrating rod of

 > DU to punch through the armor. None of this burning at 170 degrees C

 > when the design purpose requires the rod to remain intact. Especially

 > when U has a melting point of 1132 degrees C and boiling point of 3818

 > degrees C (CRC Handbook 58th edition).

 >

 > That's not to mention the radioactivity aspects





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