VH>It won't -- years ago, there was a controversy over the Bradley Infantry
VH>Fighting Vehicle, claiming there was a "behind the armor effect" when a
VH>shaped charge warhead hit a vehicle with aluminium armor.  The wild-eyed
VH>radicals claimed that the shaped charge would vaporize aluminium and the
VH>vaporized aluminium would detonate on the inside of the vehicle.
VH>Having had the unusual experience of SEEING an RPG-7 jet come through an
VH>M113 (which also has aluminimum armor), and haveing written several
VH>articles on infantry fighting vehicles before I retired, I was asked to
VH>do a study.  The aluminium does nothing -- although some people claim
VH>that if the armor is VASTLY over-matched, it might add to the effect.
Very good.  I learn something new everyday.  :)  In one of my college
classes some years ago, it was stated that aluminum is 5 times stronger
than steel, by weight.  If you carried that out, aluminum vehicles have
the potential of being 1-5 times stronger or up to 80% lighter with the
same strength as steel vehicles.  I don't know if I'd trust my math for
protection from shaped charges tho.
However, there is a process that can be performed to strengthen the
aluminum.  Cryogenic freezing.  I know that there are a few people out
there in this echo that have had this done to there firearms to increase
life and accuracy.  That same can be done to aluminum to make it
tougher.
You can do very easily in you own home using kerosene and dry
ice.  Put the two into a coffee can or something suitable.  After the
kerosene has had a chance to cool off quite a bit, add you aluminum
peices.  I should make a kinds of noise for a while if you do it right.
The longer that you can leave the part in the chilled kerosene the
better.  What happens is, because the kerosene is so cold, it causes the
aluminum to contract (or shrink if you will) which forces the molocules
to align themself with each other.  Before the process the molocules are
in a random pattern which affords a point weakness where a fracture can
occur.  Being aligned, there are no weak points or areas where molocules
are not aligned, making it much stronger.
Don
 * SLMR 2.1a * Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Spin! Ha! Thrust! *BOINNGGG!*
--- T.A.G. 2.7c
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