On Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:30:35 -0700, Erik wrote:
In article ,
Tim Wescott wrote:
On Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:54:19 -0400, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
35 lb tungsten "ballast" blocks (race cars): $1877
http://www.stockcarsteel.com/tungsten/
Twice as dense as steel & 50% more than lead, but what a price to pay
for the little space that it saves.
I used to work at an aerospace company that made extensive use of
tungsten weights in an assembly that had to be balanced just so, and
was a 5.000 pound bag with 4.999 pounds of s**t in it.
Sometimes they could use brass.
When the assembly costs enough, a few chunks of tungsten aren't that
much by comparison.
They used to (and may still for all I know) use depleted uranium for
control surface balance weights on some large commercial & military
aircraft. IIRC, it's like 68+% heavier than lead. (Have also heard,
possibly here in this NG, that the military uses it for some projectiles
as well.)
I know that after a crash of an aircraft equipped with DU weights,
finding them is a big priority.
I think depleted uranium is cheaper than tungsten -- at least if you're
the military. My understanding is that the stuff is chemically toxic,
but not that harmful as an emitter of radiation. It has to be easier to
machine.
They used depleted uranium slugs in the Phalanx anti-missile defense
system, but changed to tungsten due to environmental concerns.
I know that they used to use depleted uranium in anti-tank rounds both
for density and for the fact that it'll ignite in air if it's hot. The
slug was designed so that on impact it would penetrate the tank's armor
and squirt molten depleted uranium into the interior of the tank. If it
was in an oxygen atmosphere it would catch on fire and hopefully do even
more damage.
I don't know if they still use the stuff in anti-tank rounds -- perhaps
they have them in storage someplace, in case we get into a serious
shooting war with someone who actually has tanks.
--
My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook.
My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook.
Why am I not happy that they have found common ground?
Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software
http://www.wescottdesign.com