From: Richard Lathrop (lathrrs@snip.net)
Date: Thu Aug 07 2003 - 21:10:32 PDT
First GI mod when in a hot area will be to leave the switch permenently on.
RIck
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Employee@MilVeh.com" <milveh@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 20:31:45 -0700 (PDT)
>The ubiquitous RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher can be
>picked up for a mere $10 in most of the world's
>trouble spots but is capable of destroying a tank and
>killing its crew. When the grenade hits the tank, its
>"shaped-charge" warhead fires a jet of hot copper into
>the target at around 1,000mph. This is capable of
>penetrating more than a foot of conventional solid
>steel armour.
>
>The new electric armour is made up of a highly-charged
>capacitor that is connected to two separate metal
>plates on the tank's exterior. The outer plate, which
>is bullet-proof and made from an unspecified alloy, is
>earthed while the insulated inner plate is live.
>
>The electric armour runs off the tank's own power
>supply. When the tank commander feels he is in a
>dangerous area, he simply switches on the current to
>the inner plate.
>
>When the warhead fires its jet of molten copper, it
>penetrates both the outer plate and the insulation of
>the inner plate. This makes a connection and thousands
>of amps of electricity vaporises most of the molten
>copper. The rest of the copper is dispersed harmlessly
>against the vehicle's hull.
>
>But despite the high charge, the electrical load on
>the battery is no more than that caused by starting
>the engine on a cold morning.
>
>In a recent demonstration of the electric armour for
>senior Army officers, an APC protected by the new
>British system survived repeated attacks by
>rocket-propelled grenades that would normally have
>destroyed it several times over.
>
>Many of the grenades were fired from point-blank range
>but the only damage to the APC was cosmetic. The
>vehicle was driven away under its own power.
>
>Prof John Brown, of the Defence Science and Technology
>Laboratory, which developed the Pulsed Power System at
>its R&D site at Fort Halstead, Kent, said it was
>attracting a lot of interest from both the MoD and the
>Pentagon.
>
>With the easy availability of RPG-7 rocket launchers
>"it only takes one individual on, say, a rooftop in a
>village to cause major damage or destroy passing
>armoured vehicles", he said.
>
>But the use of electric armour, which will protect
>against all shaped-charge warheads including artillery
>and tank shells, would reduce the threat to zero.
>
>> You are looking at a VERY BIG capacitor.
>>
>> The latent heat of vaporization (amount of energy to
>> turn liquid metal to
>> vapor) for metals is as follows:
>>
>> Lead 8.7 x 10 E 5 = 0.87 million Joules /
>> Kg
>> Copper 5 x 10 E 6 = 5 million joules/Kg
>>
>> Assume a bullet weighs about 25 g (<1 oz):
>>
>> Lead 0.87 x 10 E 5 x 0.025 = 21,750 joules
>> Copper 5 x 10 E 6 = 125,000 joules
>>
>> A joule = 1 watt-second (1 watt for 1 second) so
>> for:
>>
>> Lead a 22 KW generator would provide enough power to
>> defeat 1 bullet/ second
>> Copper a 125 KW generator would provide enough power
>> to defeat 1 bullet/second.
>>
>> In reality, the efficiency would be less than 50%
>> requiring a generator many
>> times larger. Batteries are out of the question.
>>
>> That's the physics, folks.
>>
>> -John
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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