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Article: Explosive development: to build a better bomb, scientists have pulled off a new magic trick--metal that explodes on impact.(TECH WATCH)(Brief article)
- Article from:
- Popular Mechanics
- Article date:
- August 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WHEN MOST BOMBS GO OFF, THEY release a spray of deadly shards of steel. Now, imagine that those shards were themselves explosive, detonating in a massive chain reaction. It's for real: Defense contractors are harnessing the strange alchemy of reactive materials (RMs)--in which two or more inert materials are mixed to create an explosion--to develop smaller, more lethal warheads, as well as new ways to protect troops against mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades.
RMs generally consist of powdered metals, such as aluminum or titanium, combined with an oxidizing agent. Whether that agent is another powdered metal or a nonmetallic compound, such as Teflon, ...