Nuclear Weapons Material

[Mike Duvos]

Perry E. Metzger <perry at imsi.com> writes:]

 >> The media was making a big deal last night about the
 >> seizure of twenty pounds of U-238.  This, of course, is the
 >> non-radioactive isotope of uranium in which trade is
 >> relatively unrestricted.

 > Its plenty radioactive. It just isn't fissionable. Not all
 > isotopes are fissionable.

Uranium is not particularly radioactive, being a long lived alpha
emitter.  This is true of plutonium and some other fissionable
materials as well.  I can handle clad uranium or plutonium
reactor or bomb components in complete safety with no protective
clothing needed. The only hazard is from ingestion of the
material, or from accumulation of decay products such as radon in
a badly ventilated area.

Workers in nuclear fuel fabrication facilities have been known to
use small disks of plutonium sintered into a ceramic base as
poker chips.

Although U-238 can decay both by spontaneous fission and alpha
emission, its astronomically long half-life of many billions of
years results in a very low level of radioactivity for both these
modes of decay.  For all practical purposes, we may consider it a
stable isotope.

 >> It does make excellent shell casings

 > Actually, depleted uranium tends to be used in place of
 > lead in rounds used for things like Phalanx (sp?)
 > anti-missile gattling guns. Its also used in some sorts of
 > armor. I don't think anyone in their right mind would make a
 > shell CASING from it.

Uranium is used in munitions because of its mass, which allows it
to go through less massive materials like steel or concrete like
a hot knife through butter.  It is used both for bullets and
shell casings.  Especially anti-tank rounds and shells designed
to penetrate hardened military facilities.  The idea is that the
uranium penetrates the armor and the charge then explodes once
the round is inside.

-- 
     Mike Duvos         $    PGP 2.6 Public Key available     $
     mpd at netcom.com     $    via Finger.                      $