(10-29-2019, 11:14 AM)Wallfire Wrote: How much explosive did he use, a claymore mine has a kill area of about 100m. That was one hell of a bomb he made to send bits of it so far
There are a lot of other factors to consider beyond the amount of explosive. The type also factors in. Claymores are powered by about 8 ounces of C4 as I recall, and this was gunpowder. Not even relatively weak black powder, but actual gunpowder, which generates pressures of 50,000 to 60,000 PSI in a 5.56x45 NATO rifle chamber, made to withstand it. Most pipe is NOT rated to withstand pressures like that, and will contain much, much more powder than a relatively tiny rifle shell casing.
Claymores are also composed of plastic casing, rather than steel. Their destruction is caused by around 700 steel ball bearings being forcefully projected forward ("FRONT - Towards Enemy") directionally.
On top of packing the powder into a pipe, they then SEALED it with a wooden plug which acted as wadding to hold back the explosive pressure, and tape over the mouth of the pipe which did the same. Modern gunpowder burns at a furious rate, and when that pressure of the gasses generated is held back, it's going to have to come out somewhere. In this case that somewhere was through the side of the pipe container, sending shrapnel flying.
I can recall guys using a tiny gob of C4 to start fires, or a dollop smeared on the bottom of a canteen cup to heat the water in it for coffee. I never did that, because adding any compression (like stomping the fire out or setting the canteen cup down) while the C4 was still burning could result in the loss of a foot or hand, and I was pretty attached to mine.
But some folks did.
An "explosion" is just rapid burning. Very rapid to be sure, but at it's heart just rapid burning, with an associated rapid release of gasses. C4 can be burned without flashing if that burning is not accompanied by pressure (like from a blasting cap), but gunpowder, even black powder, cannot. When that burning is contained, the pressure has to go somewhere, resulting in an explosion along the lines of least resistance.
Folks should not play with explosives without understanding them. These people did, and now one of them is no more.
.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’