Subject: Re: Wanted armor piercing tung/carbide

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 08:14:32 -0400

Depleted Uranium anti-tank rounds are made from the green salts remaining
after most of the radioactive (nuclear fuel) has been extracted. They are
processed into powder, compacted and ultimately machined into the pointed
round for armor piercing projectiles.  It is done here in the Boston area,
but production of this material has been on standstill for several years now
with the end of the cold war.  The reason depleted Uranium is used is its
high density and hardness (about Rockwell C 36).  Applying  E=MC2, (if you
believe in such things), the E (energy) will be far greater if the M (mass)
or (weight -  as we say here on Earth) X the C squared (velocity) is
increased.  And of course the depleted Uranium weighs about twice what Iron
weighs (.28#/cu.inch for Iron, and .70#/cu inch for depleted Uranium).  So,
again is this an blacksmithing question, or are you starting an army?
Mike Schermerhorn

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From: Jerry Andrews <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 17:40:11 -0500 (CDT)

On Thu, 4 Jul 1996 [email-masked] wrote:

> The reason depleted Uranium is used is its

Actually, I think the formula should be the momentum one: P=mV (momentum
equals mass times velocity).

The result of a collision depends on the momentum of the bodies involved,
and the area of impact.  To get the best AP result, you want a high amount
of momentum and a low area of impact.

Most shells can't be made to go faster (higher velocity), due to
considerations of air resistance, gun design, etc.  So you increase the
weight of the shell (higher mass), but use a denser material (Uranium) so
you gain it without making a bigger shell.

And because the shell is the same size, the area of impact is just a
small, meaning better AP capabilities.

End mini-lecture.

B*B!
Jerry

Umm, aren't we getting pretty far away from the subject of the list?
(Unless someone else comes forward saying they've been contracted to pound
out dU shells for someone - "high armor piercing shells with that ol' time
handforged feel"?)