JD>DS> Thermite is Aluminum?  I don't think so.  The Aluminum may get hot and
JD>DS> melt just from the conversion of energy, but I don't think that it 
would
JD>DS> *FLASH* like an incenderary round.  An incenderary round has a 
magnesium
JD>DS> impacts an object, the jacket either breaks up or peels open exposing
JD>DS> the WP which will begin burning as soon as it's exposed to the air.
JD>Back during the Falklands conflict between the Brits and the Argentines,
JD>one of the Brits newest destroyers got center punched by an exocet. The
JD>impact and explosion set the "latest, hi-tech, *aluminum*, superstructure
JD>on fire. The fire raged with such intensity that the ship was lost. Now
This is known as a class "D" fire.  Take a look on your fire extinguisher 
you have by your reloading equipment.  It says "ABC", for combustable 
solids, liquids, and electrical fires.  "D" fires use sand to extinguish 
them.  If you pour water on them, the flame is so hot it breaks apart the 
hydrogen and oxygen, liberating them to feed a type "A" (or possibly "B") 
combustion.
Magnesium is usually used, it does not oxidize as fast as aluminum.  You 
can ignite aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and zirconium all in this way.  
There may be more, I don't know.  Finely powdered zirconium is so 
sensative, it will flash just from being poured into the air, the 
friction of it rubbing against itself as it falls will start the 
ignition.
JD>you can get the Al burning, your going to have a dickens of a time putting
JD>it out. Needless to say, the Admiralty rethought their ideas on destroyer
Yeah.  It takes a while to get going, but once it does...  I think the 
'thermal' grenades the army uses use a metal of this type.  I know it 
supposedly burns around 5000ø F, about what a "D" flame burns at.
I don't subscribe to those low temperature flames though, i turn to 
carbon sub-nitride when I want flame:  ÷ 8000ø F.  Hot enough to melt 
tantalum carbide.
þ SLMR 2.0 þ For the Snark *was* a Boojum, you see.
 * LAKOTA v1.5
--- Alexi/Mail 2.02 (#10000)
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