WIX Archives

Re: Radiation

Posted by Jeff on Thu Feb 05, 2004 02:35:19 AM

In reply top Radiation posted by bdk on Wed Feb 04, 2004 12:52:34 PM

A large percentage is fallout. But by bombardment with neutron radiation, and to a lesser degree some others, it is possible to creat radio-isotopes within the material being bombarded. the amount should vary according to the degree of bombardment and duration as well as intensity of the exposure. The half lives vary as well according to the type of isotope created and the base material being bombarded.

so, you don't want to get "hot" stay as far away as possible for as long as posible and since nice "dense" materials like lead tend to stop radiation or prevent full exposure stay behind something nice and solid too.

: I think that most of the radiation issue has to do with ra
: dioactive fallout (i.e. dust) that gets trapped in the air
: plane, not the radioactivity of the airplane itself.
:
: I'm no expert on radioactivity though... Does anyone know
: someone who is?
:
: : I guess that the affects of radiation on aluminum aren't
: t
: : hat bad after 50-60 years. I know that "Nine-O-Nine" was
: u
: : sed in Operation Snapper in 1952 at the Nevada Test Site
: o
: : n Yucca Flats. Final Cut says that she was used in three
: b
: : lasts to test the "Vulnerability of Parked Aircraft to A
: to
: : mic Bombs". The first blast she was parked 10,000 ft fro
: m
: : a 1 kiloton explosion, the second she was 10,000 ft from
: a
: : 30 kiloton explosion, and the last she was 8,000 ft fro
: m
: : a 19 kiloton explosion. After all this, it was determine
: d
: : she would need 5274 man hours to repair the damage. From
: t
: : here, she was allowed to cool off until 1964 when the US
: AF
: : determined that all subjects were "cooled" off and offe
: re
: : d for sale. Valley Scrap who bought 800 tons of the scra
: p
: : from the site, purchased the B-17 for a net cost of $269
: !!
: : ! 14 May 1965 is when she took to the air again. So she
: on
: : ly sat for 12 years before she was considered safe which
: i
: : s much shorter than I would've figured.
: :
: : I would think that wood is a little more likely to hang
: on
: : to the stuff for quite a while seeing as how it is a la
: ye
: : red type material in a sense. It would seem that the rad
: ia
: : tion can be trapped and absorbed much like say water doe
: s
: : in wood. Not sure though after 60 years.

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