Why do we still have nuclear weapons?
Let me enlighten you to the effects of a typical 15kiloton (15,000 ton) fission bomb:
(The fifteen kilotons is reflective of the amount of TNT needed to produce the approximate same blast.)
The main reason that an atomic bomb is so destructive is due to the fact that it utilises more than one effect when detonated. These are:
1) The atomic blast
2) The thermal radiation, and
3) The nuclear radiation
The first of these effects, the atomic blast; will only last for between half of a second to one second. But within this time a tremendous amount of damage is done. A fireball is created by the blast, which consists
mainly of dust and gasses. The dust produced in this fireball has no substantial effect on humans or their environment. However as these gasses expand a blast wave is produced. As this blast wave moves it then creates static overpressure.
This static overpressure is easily capable of completely crushing buildings.
The rough amount of pressure for this is 6.7 – 8.2 tons per metre.
The dynamic pressure creates winds of more than four hundred miles an hour; easily enough to blow down trees and throw cars literally hundreds of feet.
The blast pressure and fireball together only last for approximately eleven seconds, but in this time consume fifty percent of the atomic bombs overall power. Creating almost complete destruction of the surrounding area.
The thermal radiation from an atomic blast accounts for roughly 35% of the overall power. Thermal radiation can come in either one of three forms:
Ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, or infrared radiation.
The ultraviolet radiation is absorbed so rapidly by air particles that it has no substantial effect on people or their surroundings.
However, the visible and infrared radiation creates an enormous amount of heat to be produced, approximately ten million degrees Celsius at the hypocenter
This heat has two main effects. The first is known as flash burns. The flash of thermal radiation produces these flash burns right after the explosion. Flash burns can be first-degree burns (bad sun burns), second-degree burns (blisters, infections, and scars), or third degree burns (destroyed skin tissue). The second type is known as flame burns. These are burns that come from one of two different types of fires, which are created when flammable materials are ignited by the thermal radiation.
The first type is called firestorms. A firestorm is violent, has raging winds, and has extremely high temperatures; but fortunately it does not spread very rapidly
The second type is called a conflagration. A conflagration is when the fire spreads in a spherical movement outwards.
The thermal radiation produced by
the atomic bomb’s explosion will account for most of the deaths or injuries caused.
The final effect that an atomic bomb caused is the nuclear radiation produced
from the fission process. The nuclear radiation comes in the form of either Gamma rays or Beta particles. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation originating in the atomic nuclei, physically identical to x-rays. They can enter into living tissue extremely easily. Beta particles are negatively charged particles, identical to an electron moving at a high
velocity.
During the initial nuclear radiation mostly Gamma rays are emitted from the fireball. This period of initial nuclear radiation lasts for approximately one minute. During the residual nuclear period (fallout) the Beta particles and more of the Gamma rays are emitted. The residual radiation has two stages: early fallout and delayed fallout.
In early fallout, the heavy and highly radioactive particles fall back to the earth, usually within the first twenty-four hours.
In delayed fallout, the tiny and often invisible particles fall back to the earth, and usually last from a couple of days to several years.
Nuclear radiation causes many illnesses. Such as cancer of the (insert any part of the body) leukaemia, tumours, mental retardation of those in utero, birth defects, infertility and greater susceptibility to illness.
As you can see, this is the reason why the atomic bomb has the most destructive power on earth. This is the effect of a 15kiloton atomic blast. Today we have weapons with a capable nuclear warhead of up to 100megatons. (Or one hundred million tons of TNT)
In 1999 Britain alone had 7.6 tonnes of weapon-grade plutonium, 21.9 tonnes of highly enriched weapon-grade uranium. And 15,000 tonnes of other forms of uranium. (Albright, Berkhout, and Walker in Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium 1999)
I assume we still have these as an ‘insurance policy’ as all other superpowers have them. (Russia having the largest nuclear stockpile, followed by America then Britain.)
Why should we ask other countries to disarm if we are not willing to? I say we set an example and disarm!
-Damien
(The fifteen kilotons is reflective of the amount of TNT needed to produce the approximate same blast.)
The main reason that an atomic bomb is so destructive is due to the fact that it utilises more than one effect when detonated. These are:
1) The atomic blast
2) The thermal radiation, and
3) The nuclear radiation
The first of these effects, the atomic blast; will only last for between half of a second to one second. But within this time a tremendous amount of damage is done. A fireball is created by the blast, which consists
mainly of dust and gasses. The dust produced in this fireball has no substantial effect on humans or their environment. However as these gasses expand a blast wave is produced. As this blast wave moves it then creates static overpressure.
This static overpressure is easily capable of completely crushing buildings.
The rough amount of pressure for this is 6.7 – 8.2 tons per metre.
The dynamic pressure creates winds of more than four hundred miles an hour; easily enough to blow down trees and throw cars literally hundreds of feet.
The blast pressure and fireball together only last for approximately eleven seconds, but in this time consume fifty percent of the atomic bombs overall power. Creating almost complete destruction of the surrounding area.
The thermal radiation from an atomic blast accounts for roughly 35% of the overall power. Thermal radiation can come in either one of three forms:
Ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, or infrared radiation.
The ultraviolet radiation is absorbed so rapidly by air particles that it has no substantial effect on people or their surroundings.
However, the visible and infrared radiation creates an enormous amount of heat to be produced, approximately ten million degrees Celsius at the hypocenter
This heat has two main effects. The first is known as flash burns. The flash of thermal radiation produces these flash burns right after the explosion. Flash burns can be first-degree burns (bad sun burns), second-degree burns (blisters, infections, and scars), or third degree burns (destroyed skin tissue). The second type is known as flame burns. These are burns that come from one of two different types of fires, which are created when flammable materials are ignited by the thermal radiation.
The first type is called firestorms. A firestorm is violent, has raging winds, and has extremely high temperatures; but fortunately it does not spread very rapidly
The second type is called a conflagration. A conflagration is when the fire spreads in a spherical movement outwards.
The thermal radiation produced by
the atomic bomb’s explosion will account for most of the deaths or injuries caused.
The final effect that an atomic bomb caused is the nuclear radiation produced
from the fission process. The nuclear radiation comes in the form of either Gamma rays or Beta particles. Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation originating in the atomic nuclei, physically identical to x-rays. They can enter into living tissue extremely easily. Beta particles are negatively charged particles, identical to an electron moving at a high
velocity.
During the initial nuclear radiation mostly Gamma rays are emitted from the fireball. This period of initial nuclear radiation lasts for approximately one minute. During the residual nuclear period (fallout) the Beta particles and more of the Gamma rays are emitted. The residual radiation has two stages: early fallout and delayed fallout.
In early fallout, the heavy and highly radioactive particles fall back to the earth, usually within the first twenty-four hours.
In delayed fallout, the tiny and often invisible particles fall back to the earth, and usually last from a couple of days to several years.
Nuclear radiation causes many illnesses. Such as cancer of the (insert any part of the body) leukaemia, tumours, mental retardation of those in utero, birth defects, infertility and greater susceptibility to illness.
As you can see, this is the reason why the atomic bomb has the most destructive power on earth. This is the effect of a 15kiloton atomic blast. Today we have weapons with a capable nuclear warhead of up to 100megatons. (Or one hundred million tons of TNT)
In 1999 Britain alone had 7.6 tonnes of weapon-grade plutonium, 21.9 tonnes of highly enriched weapon-grade uranium. And 15,000 tonnes of other forms of uranium. (Albright, Berkhout, and Walker in Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium 1999)
I assume we still have these as an ‘insurance policy’ as all other superpowers have them. (Russia having the largest nuclear stockpile, followed by America then Britain.)
Why should we ask other countries to disarm if we are not willing to? I say we set an example and disarm!
-Damien
posted by Damien at Monday, July 11, 2005
1 Comments:
because the whole world is pointing their weapons at every body else (insert) come on then we have 4 just off a west cost in a submarine.
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