NUCLEAR EXCAVATION TECHNOLOGY
LARGE-SCALE EXCAVATION IS PERHAPS THE MOST OBVIOUS AND STRAIGHT-FORWARD USE OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES. THE SIZE OF THE EXCAVATION DEPENDS ON SEVERAL FACTORS, SUCH AS THE EXPLOSIVE YIELD, MEDIUM, AND DEPTH OF BURST. CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN OBTAINED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS ON THE CRATERING EFFECT OF CHEMICAL AND NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES IN A VARIETY OF MEDIA. FURTHER, IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT SEVERAL EXPLOSIVES, SPACED APPROXIMATELY A SINGLE-CRATER RADIUS APART AND DETONATED SIMULTANEOUSLY, WILL PRODUCE A UNIFORM CHANNEL WITH A WIDTH AND DEPTH ABOUT EQUAL TO SINGLE-CRATER DIMENSIONS. SUCH A CHANNEL MAY BE USED FOR APPLICATIONS SUCH AS WATERWAYS AND RAILROAD AND HIGHWAY CUTS. BURIAL OF THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE AT SUCH A DEPTH THAT ALMOST MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS ARE OBTAINED RESULTS IN TRAPPING MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF THE RADIOACTIVITY UNDERGROUND. THIS ENTRAPMENT, WHEN COMBINED WITH THE USE OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES IN WHICH A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF THE ENERGY COMES FROM FISSION PROCESSES, ALLOWS NUCLEAR EXCAVATION TO BE USED IN REMOTE AREAS WITH COMPLETE RADIOLOGICAL SAFETY. PRESENTLY PUBLISHED COSTS FOR NUCLEAR EXCAVATION INDICATE THAT THE UNIT COST OF EXCAVATION DECREASES WITH INCREASING DEPTH OF EXCAVATION. IN GENERAL, NUCLEAR EXCAVATION IS ECONOMICAL FOR DEPTHS GREATER THAN 100 FT. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT FUTURE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND MASS PRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES WILL SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE PRESENT PUBLISHED DEVICE COSTS. /AUTHOR/
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Supplemental Notes:
- Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Authors:
- Nordyke, Milo D
- Publication Date: 1964
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Figures;
- Pagination: pp 1-12
- Monograph Title: Nuclear Excavation 1963
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Serial:
- Highway Research Record
- Issue Number: 50
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Channels (Waterways); Cratering; Depth; Economic benefits; Excavations; Explosives; Nuclear excavation; Nuclear explosions; Railroads; Road construction; Size
- Old TRIS Terms: Explosive yield; Media
- Subject Areas: Construction; Economics; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Railroads;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00214411
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Apr 1 1994 12:00AM