Nuclear Weapons

[zjoh...@cuppa.curtin.edu.au]

I am looking for data on the effects of nuclear explosions. In particular I am
interested in information about effects at various distances from ground zero
vs size of the bomb.

Thanks in anticipation.

[El QueSabe]

The effects of a nuclear blast are not that different from a conventional
bomb with the exception of the prompt and residual radiation after the use
of a nuclear device.

Considering the bomb (any type) being a the center of an expanding sphere,
the effects of the blasts (called overpresssure, measured in psi) fall off
at the rate of 4/3 times pi times radius cubed. One could calculate the
overpressure at any distance from any bomb if one knows the point yield at
time of detonation at radius approx = 0. If you choose any initial
overpressure and run ever increasing radius values you will see that the
effect of a bomb falls off very quickly as its distance from ground zero
increases.

This is the main reason that almost all US nuclear weapons are at or below
the 1 megeaton range in yield with almost half or more at the half megaton
range. A large bomb will do less damage than several small ones spread
around. You also save on weapons grade material to make more bombs and
can make smaller delievery systems. In fact there are backpack nuclear
weapons that soilders carry on their backs to plant in the path of
advancing enemy lines.

Depending the the type of nuclear weapon used, most prompt dangerous
radiation will be gone in approx 2 weeks. Some weapons are so clean
(Neutron Bomb) that friendly troops can enter a bombed area in a matter a
hours without any (or little) risk. There is little use to making an area
totally uninhabitable. The victor wants to be able to use what they can
from the area they have "won."

There is a very dirty type of bomb. It is a hydrogen bomb with a shell of
cobalt around the core. The resulting radiation products would produce
high energy gamma radiation for hundreds to thousands of years in the area
were such a bomb is used. I hope there are none of these types around.