Thread: Twilight 2020
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Old 01-09-2019, 12:33 PM
unkated unkated is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
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Default DU Armor Additions

From a Quora article about the DU armor on the US M1 Abrams...

(Why is depleted uranium used in the Abrams new armor)

"The biggest drawback to DU armor was noticed during “blue on blue” fire during the Gulf War and the Iraq war - a DU penetrator passing through DU armor meant that higher levels of DU were present in the atmosphere of the tank immediately after it was hit, exposing the crew to higher levels of inhaled DU. So the greatest exposure was to tank crews was to those who were in a DU-armored tank hit with a DU round. Non-DU rounds (such as those used by the Iraqi army) were much less penetrating."

I found this in a Reddit article:

Solid uranium isn't all that pyrophoric, because that reaction is based on surface area. Uranium shavings or powder, like what you might get when machining it, are the real danger; that's why you operate the machines under oil or a non-oxygen gas (nitrogen and argon are common choices, I think). However, a sheet of uranium isn't going to be very enthusiastic about catching on fire, because only the very surface is subject to pyrophoricity.

(Since I am not a scientist, I make no claims about this; just passing it on. The article includes a picture of where the DU armor is (turret front).)

Uncle Ted

Last edited by unkated; 01-09-2019 at 01:08 PM. Reason: Added quote from second article
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