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From: john%ghostwheel.unm.edu@ariel.unm.edu (John Prentice)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Bunkers in Kuwait
Message-ID: <1991Feb18.053319.10425@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 18 Feb 91 05:33:19 GMT
References: <1991Feb15.065157.8744@cbnews.att.com>
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Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
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From: john%ghostwheel.unm.edu@ariel.unm.edu (John Prentice)
In article <1991Feb15.065157.8744@cbnews.att.com> cga66@ihlpy.att.com (Patrick V Kauffold) writes:
>It is likely that many (if not most) of the concrete bunkers built by
>Iraq in Kuwait are made of prefabricated, prestressed concrete modules -
>panels, beams, supports, columns, floors, etc.  These go in quickly (dig hole,
>insert modules, fill hole).  They are, however, not a strong as poured
>structures, but consider the difficulties of making poured concrete
>bunkers. 

Are these bunkers reinforced concrete?  In penetration tests done on
runways, it has been found that the bulk of the resistance to penetration
is the rebar.  You keep hitting the steel as you penetrate the concrete.
In DNA nuclear weapons superhardened silos, the same was true for air and
ground shocks (for different reasons), the rebar was where all the strength
was.  That being the case, is the question of how long the concrete has
cured, etc... that important?  Also, put a little sand around these things
and you are pretty insulated from all but a direct hit by a earth 
penetrating weapon.  Sand is a damn effective shock absorber.

John
  
--
John K. Prentice    john@unmfys.unm.edu (Internet)
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Computational Physics Group, Amparo Corporation, Albuquerque, NM, USA