Posted on 07/10/2002 9:42:12 AM PDT by JohnFiorentino
*It is worthy to note that these "spheres" were recovered from the corpses of some TWA800 victims at autopsy) ...Authors note*
(FBI report from Brookhaven National Labs, 1997) (excerpts)
This item, one of 20 similar pieces.........was approx. 5mm in diameter and charcoal colored. The item was polished and then subjected to an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis to determine its chemical composition.
Small charcoal colored particles (1 of -20 similar pieces) measuring ~5mm in diameter. On polishing the sample was orange colored and transparent.
SEM analysis indicated the material was multi-phase having a base matrix containing Al and Ti. The sample showed significant charging under the electron beam indicating that it is a very poor conductor - i.e.., not metallic. Three other distinct areas could be observed, two were similar to the matrix but contained significant amounts of Zr, the other was mostly Al with Ca, Ba and Ce.
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Below is a response from the Boeing Co. re: the "spheres" alluded to in the (FBI report from Brookhaven National Labs, 1997) and just recently declassified. (note one sentence in the below transmission was a little skewed, however, that is the way it was received)
Thanks for your inquiry John.
I am unaware of anything on a Boeing commercial airplane that would use those chemicals in a matrix (or other) form. We do not use Aluminium / Titanium matrix type metals since their differing thermal expansion rates will tend to tear a part fabricated from them apart when subjected to the rapid change in temperatures that jet aircraft encounter. We use a temperature differential of +180 degree F to -70 degrees F in 20 minutes as a design criteria. The +180 was a measured skin temperature of an airplane sitting in the sun in Saudi Arabia. Also, we try to limit the amount of Titanium we put into the airplanes because it costs so much. We use it where strength and fatigue requirements make Aluminium inappropriate.
Hope this helps.
Thanks,
(redacted) Associate Technical Fellow Service Engineering The Boeing Company
Copyright 2002, J.E. Fiorentino - All rights reserved.
Are you willing to say ALL anticraft missiles? How about Chinese? North Korean? Pakastani? Israeli? Cech?
I think your position is reasonable - but there are a lot of potential manufacturers out there. Have you looked at all of them?
Then you'll never find it--the ceramic balls would not be used in any SAM warhead because of the extremely poor lethality thereof.
This is a parallel development to the Llama pellet warhead design, for use by my Shining Path client - not only does this wonder material help clean polluted water, it clears the skies of the oppressive bourgeoise power structure's air pirates to boot!
Boy, if I get too good at this lying and propagandizing, WSWS is gonna offer me a job - hey, you notice that if you put those letters upside down they stand for Monde Site Moose Socialiste? Hmmm....
No. But that isn't necessary. Poohbah is absolutely correct (he almost always is;) ). Continuous rod warheads don't have "joints". They are composed of a single piece of very dense material scored in such a way that when the explosive inside it explodes, the metal expands, transforming it from a cylinder shape into a ring, which subsequently divides into an expanding circle of separate, rod shaped fragments. Missile warheads represent the pinnicle of design efficiency. They must maximize destructive capability, in a very small package. There is no room for the waste represented by small, low mass, non-explosive ceramic spheres.
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