Infomation on depleted Uranium (Or: help I suck at physics)

Tatterdemalion · Post by **Tatterdemalion** » 2003-01-11 01:58am

[grovelling] Oh noble, noble people of stardestroyer.net please hear the desperate pleas of a hopeless teenager who has little if any knowledge of physics or modern weaponary . [/grovelling]

Um, yeah, anyway I was wondering if anybody with more knowledge on the subject of depleted uranium than me could see fit to point me to any sites were I can get a fairly objective (unbiasedness is probably impossible, but sites supported by scientific facts will do just as well.) guide to the properties and/or use of depleted uranium in warfare, coupled with the possible dangers.

A quick scan of google has given me a vague knowledge of depleted uranium ammo, however 90% of the sites I've visited have scremed BIAS right from the word go. (either end-of-the-world scaremongering, or try to pass DU as a perfect riskless weapon.) so, basicly, I need help.

Note that I'm concerned strictly with the physical side of things here, I couldn't care less about unimportant things like ethics or opinion, I'm basicly looking for thing like toughness, stiffness, young's modulus etc, and performance compared to alternative materials compared to, say, tungsten or whatever.

So anyone feel any pity for the grovelling kid here?

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-01-11 02:23am

Depleted uranium is extremely dense, having an atomic number of 238. This means that a small amount can impact with a huge amount of momentum. That's primarily why it would be considered, especially for tanks. I also think that the A-10's gattling gun uses depleted uranium shells, enabling it to swiss-cheese tanks.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 02:55am

Apparently DU is also pyrophoric... and it also seems to be mildly radioactive...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-11 02:56am

Inferior to tungsten in terms of physical properties, but superior in the all-important property of cost

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-01-11 03:01am

I think it was His Divine Shadow that was telling me of a sci-fi universe which claimed to use "depleted deuterium" in their handguns.

I almost fell off my chair laughing when he told me that.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-11 03:06am

Durandal wrote:I think it was His Divine Shadow that was telling me of a sci-fi universe which claimed to use "depleted deuterium" in their handguns.

I almost fell off my chair laughing when he told me that.

It would be ridiculously pointless, but at least it's technically possible. That makes it far better than your average Star Trek science gaffe.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-01-11 03:10am

Darth Wong wrote:
Durandal wrote:I think it was His Divine Shadow that was telling me of a sci-fi universe which claimed to use "depleted deuterium" in their handguns.

I almost fell off my chair laughing when he told me that.
It would be ridiculously pointless, but at least it's technically possible. That makes it far better than your average Star Trek science gaffe.

True, but what would depleted deuterium be? Depleted uranium refers to uranium which cannot be used for fission anymore. Depleted deuterium would be tritium.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-11 03:18am

Durandal wrote:True, but what would depleted deuterium be? Depleted uranium refers to uranium which cannot be used for fission anymore. Depleted deuterium would be tritium.

I'd actually say that depleted deuterium would be ordinary hydrogen. Tritium is one step above deuterium. So maybe this gun would be firing ice pellets

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 03:20am

Ice pellets? Nah... more like a blowgun, firing puffs of H2 gas.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-01-11 03:22am

Darth Wong wrote:
Durandal wrote:True, but what would depleted deuterium be? Depleted uranium refers to uranium which cannot be used for fission anymore. Depleted deuterium would be tritium.
I'd actually say that depleted deuterium would be ordinary hydrogen. Tritium is one step above deuterium. So maybe this gun would be firing ice pellets

Heh, I only say tritium because it's useless for fusion, same as depleted uranium is useless for fission. It could go either way, I guess.

This has been post number 2000. Once I hit the "Submit" button, I'll be very disappointed if Judgment Day doesn't come.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 03:23am

Well, I'm back... is that enough?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-01-11 03:24am

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:Ice pellets? Nah... more like a blowgun, firing puffs of H2 gas.

A "pop" gun?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-11 03:24am

Hey ESB, how has your training been?

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2003-01-11 03:27am

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:Well, I'm back... is that enough?

Sadly no. The sky hasn't turned to blood yet.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 03:28am

Keevan_Colton wrote:
Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:Ice pellets? Nah... more like a blowgun, firing puffs of H2 gas.
A "pop" gun?

Not exactly... When the opposition, armed with a rusty Colt Single Action Army shoots the hydrogen tank the sound isn't "POP", it's more of "BANGFWOOOSHcracklecracklecrackleOhmygodohthepainitburnshelpmommyithurtsaaarghgurgur...."

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-01-11 03:29am

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:
Keevan_Colton wrote:
Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:Ice pellets? Nah... more like a blowgun, firing puffs of H2 gas.
A "pop" gun?
Not exactly... When the opposition, armed with a rusty Colt Single Action Army shoots the hydrogen tank the sound isn't "POP", it's more of "BANGFWOOOSHcracklecracklecrackleOhmygodohthepainitburnshelpmommyithurtsaaarghgurgur...."

I was thinking lighting the little puffs of hydrogen....but giving it to someone and lighting the tank sounds like sooo much more fun

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 03:35am

Darth Wong wrote:Hey ESB, how has your training been?

Now where shall I begin...

Okay, for the past four weeks I've been fed a steady diet of PT, fieldcraft, M16 technical handling and grenade practice, with a sprinkling of first aid topped off by many many many push-ups.

I just finished my second 3 klick route march this morning (Hey, I'm only a stinking trainee... they can't give us the full 24 klicks yet...) and I'm going to move on to the live-fire range next week. I'm pretty damn worried because I sure as hell don't want to get a stoppage, which will hold up the entire company and doubtlessly earn me the wrath of the instructors concerned. Thus, I'll have to clean my rifle up very well...

And the other thing is that I also completed the third of three dry grouping sessions with the rifle simulators, and truth to be told... I suck. Whether it's because my technique is wrong, my eyesight is fucked (my aiming eye has astigmatism of 200+ degrees) or my arms aren't stable enough. Well, whatever it is, I am trying to get a grip (literally) on things next week by doing as many push-ups as I can per day. Not that I can do that many... I was posted to an obese company for a reason...

Ah well. My field camp's the week after next - five days in the bush with no showers, no fans, no nothing except the instructors, the heat and the goddamn mud.

EDIT: I also did some bayonet training. Now when I run out of bullets, I can at least beat the enemy to death with my rifle butt rather than with a rock.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-11 03:39am

Good luck with your continued training, ESB. Sounds tough, although I have no real frame of reference so I can't comment. I will say that I'm glad there are people out there who are willing to do this.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 03:40am

I suppose it is. But hey, what doesn't kill me...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-01-11 03:41am

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:I suppose it is. But hey, what doesn't kill me...

... makes you smell bad?

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-11 03:43am

You DO have a point. My locker smelt like something had died in it after the second day of our fieldcraft lessons.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-01-11 08:13am

Durandal wrote: I also think that the A-10's gattling gun uses depleted uranium shells, enabling it to swiss-cheese tanks.

It does- but really, a lot of people are obsessed with the A-10's 30mm cannon. For one thing, it attacks tanks from behind- a good number of small caliber, non modern weapons can kill a tank from that angle. The A-10 is truly fearsome because of it's AGM-65 Maverick load- that's it's primary armament.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2003-01-11 10:31am

Darth Wong wrote:Good luck with your continued training, ESB. Sounds tough, although I have no real frame of reference so I can't comment. I will say that I'm glad there are people out there who are willing to do this.

Military service is compulsory in his country.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-01-11 11:12am

The thing with the Depleted Duterium was meant to be DU, but someone seems to have fucked up somewhere, they have referred to it as DU elsewhere IIRC.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-01-11 11:15am

Oh BTW it was handweapon.