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Rage
of particle size of depleted uranium (DU) Rolf A. F. Witzsche - May 20, 2006
DU
particle sizes and other measurements The mean aerodynamic diameter of battlefield DU was assumed by the Royal Society to be between 1 and 5 microns. However, measurements made by the US Military in the late 1980s using sophisticated filter systems showed that the main particle diameters were much smaller than this. The table below gives the diameters of DU particles found in an analysis by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory in a study in 1984, and Glissmeyer et al in 1985. The table shows the approximate aerodynamic equivalent particle size distribution for DU particles obtained from outdoor test firings (Glissmeyer, Mishima and Bamberger, 1985) Particle AMAD micrometers Mass percent in size range.
Please note that more than half the DU particles, by mass, are smaller in size than the wavelengths of light, and half of those are several times smaller than that. The dispersion of the small nano-sized particles in air is because of their small size similar to the dispersion of gases. PS: Particles smaller that the wavelengths of light can be 'seen' and measured with a variety of electron microscopes. The most advanced of these, the High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM) can resolve objects as small as a silicon atom of 78 picometers at 50-million-fold magnification. (see more)
Depleted-uranium related links Future-related links (future wars, global warming, the coming Ice Age)
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