Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Tidbit Alfred Nobel was bothered by the fact that the dynamite he invented was being used for death and
destruction (well, duh!). When he died in 1896, his will provided for the establishment of the Nobel Prize in
various scientific disciplines for peace and the betterment of all people.
TNT
Trinitrotoluene, better known as TNT, is a pale yellow crystalline explosive that is used as a
standard against which other explosives are compared. TNT is not as powerful as other types
of explosives, but it has many positive attributes that make it a widely used explosive. For one
thing, TNT is quite stable. Unlike substances such as nitroglycerin, TNT will not detonate due
to friction, blows, or jarring. It can get wet and still maintain its potency. TNT can be stored for
many years, gradually becoming less stable over time. TNT melts at a fairly low temperature,
354 K . It can be melted and poured into a mold, meaning that TNT can take whatever shape
is desired.
TNT was invented in 1863 by a German chemist named Joseph Wilbrand. It was actually
not used as an explosive for many years because it is relatively hard to detonate. The German
army poured molten TNT into artillery shells and used them to great effect during World War I.
German TNT-filled shells were designed to detonate only after they had penetrated enemy
armor, whereas British shells, which used a less-stable explosion named lyddite, exploded
when they first struck the German armor, doing significantly less damage.
As we shall see later in this chapter, TNT is an important explosive in part because there is
a lot of experimental data on the blast damage caused by a TNT explosion. To make use of this
data, other explosives are often characterized by an equivalent mass of TNT. One kg of TNT
releases 2.175 e + 6 J/kg of energy when it explodes. Other explosive materials are typically char-
acterized by comparing them to the explosive energy of TNT. For example, ammonium nitrate
releases 0.1-0.2 times the energy of TNT.
Ammonium Nitrate
Ammonium nitrate, or AN, is created by the reaction of ammonia gas with liquid nitric acid.
The resulting ammonium nitrate solution can be stored in either a liquid or solid state. Ammonium
nitrate is commonly used in fertilizers. When mixed with a substance such as fuel oil, ammo-
nium nitrate can become a potent explosive. The infamous bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1995 was carried out with a car bomb made
from a mixture of ammonium nitrate and a highly volatile racecar fuel known as nitromethane.
C4
C4, which is shorthand for Composition C-4, is part of a family of explosives known as plastic
explosives . C4 is a composition of an explosive known as RDX, also called cyclonite, and some
other binding ingredients. C4 is off-white in color and has the consistency of soft clay. It can
be worked into whatever shape is desired. C4 is more powerful than TNT and is quite stable.
Supposedly, a bullet can be shot into a stick of C4 without causing it to detonate. To explode a
stick of C4 requires a detonator. C4 is commonly used by military organizations and is widely
used by terrorists and other bad guys as well.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search