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From: bame@hubble.sde.hp.com (Paul Bame)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Fuel-Air Explosives
Message-ID: <1991Jan22.014654.19356@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 22 Jan 91 01:46:54 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
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From: Paul Bame <bame@hubble.sde.hp.com>
>From: geoffm@EBay.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller)
>
>	but I don't understand how the fuel can be
>	dispersed by the preliminary explosion without being detonated.
>	What kind of mechanism prevents premature detonation?

I also saw the FAE bomb film.  It appears the first (bursting) explosion is
of the "cool" variety, maybe something fast like ammonium nitrate - maybe
also confined so that it's spent by the time it's container breaks.
Remember that fuel-air fuels (say, gasoline) contain no oxidizer and would
be difficult or impossible to ignite until dispersed.

The cloud was ignited at the leading edge by something slow and hot,
maybe regular gunpowder.

Just speculating...




			-Paul "Spice is the Variety of Life"
			bame@hpfcbig.sde.hp.com	N0KCL