Thermal Radiation from a Nuclear Weapon Burst,

Abstract

The different methods and correlations used to calculate the propagation of thermal radiation are reviewed and compared. A simple method to account for radiation enhancement by reflection from a superior cloud deck or snow cover, as well as attenuation of radiation by cloud cover below the burst is presented. The results show that the thermal reach may vary considerably. Additional calculations show that a significant fraction of the thermal energy may be incident after the arrival of the shock wave. Results for a range of weapon yields are presented, and the implications for blast-induced (secondary) fire starts are discussed. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1977
Accession Number
ADP001818

Entities

People

  • H. L. Brode
  • R. D. Small

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Attenuation
  • Blast
  • Cloud Cover
  • Clouds
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Radiation
  • Reflection
  • Shock
  • Shock Waves
  • Snow
  • Snow Cover
  • Thermal Radiation
  • Waves
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Combustion Dynamics and Shock Wave Physics.
  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.