4.51 SHAPED CHARGES
A shaped charge is an explosive device that, upon detonation, directs
the explosive force of detonation at a small target area. This process can be
used to breach the strongest armor, since forces of literally millions of pounds
of pressure per square inch can be generated. Shaped charges employ high-order
explosives, and usually electric ignition systems.An example of a shaped charge is shown below.
+ wire ________ _______ - wire
| |
| |
| |
_ _________|_________|____________
^ | ________|_________|__________ |
| | | | | | |
| | | \ igniter / | |
| | | \_______/ | |
| | | priming charge | |
| | | (mercury fulminate) | |
| | | ^ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | / \ | |
8 inches high | | / \ | |
| | / high \ | |
| | | / explosive \ | |
| | | / charge \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | |/ \| |
| | | ^ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | |
| | | / \ | | ------- 1/2 inch
| | | / \ | | thick steel
| | | / \ | | pipe
| | | / \ | |
| | |/ \| |
| hole for | | | | hole for
| screw | | | | screw
| | | | |
V_______ ___________| | | |___________ ________
|______| |____________| |_____________| |______|
|<------- 8 inches -------->|
If a device such as this is screwed to a safe, for example, it would
direct most of the explosive force at a point about 1 inch away from the opening
of the pipe. The basis for shaped charges is a cone-shaped opening in the
explosive material. This cone should have an angle of 45 degrees. A device
such as this one could also be attached to a metal surface with a powerful
electromagnet.
4.52 TUBE EXPLOSIVES
A variation on shaped charges, tube explosives can be used in ways that
shaped charges cannot. If a piece of 1/2 inch plastic tubing was filled with
a sensitive high explosive like R.D.X., and prepared as the plastic explosive
container in section 4.44, a different sort of shaped charge could be produced;
a charge that directs explosive force in a circular manner. This type of
explosive could be wrapped around a column, or a doorknob, or a telephone pole.
The explosion would be directed in and out, and most likely destroy whatever
it was wrapped around. In an unbent state, a tube explosive would look like
this:
|| ||
|| ||
||\____/||
|| epoxy||
||______||
|| ||
||tissue||
|| paper||
||______||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
|| RDX ||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
||******||
|| ____ ||
|| | s| ||
|| | q| ||
|| | u| ||
|| | i| ||
|| | b| ||
|| | b| ||
|| |__| ||
||__||__||
||tissue||
|| paper||
||__||__||
|| || ||
|| epoxy||
|| || ||
|| _||_ ||
||/ || \||
|| || ||
|| || ||
||_______ + wire ______________
|
|________ - wire ______________
When an assassin or terrorist wishes to use a tube bomb, he must wrap
it around whatever thing he wishes to destroy, and epoxy the ends of the tube
bomb together. After it dries, he/she can connect wires to the squib wires,
and detonate the bomb, with any method of electric detonation.
4.53 ATOMIZED PARTICLE EXPLOSIONS
If a highly flammable substance is atomized, or, divided into very small
particles, and large amounts of it is burned in a confined area, an explosion
similar to that occurring in the cylinder of an automobile is produced. The
tiny droplets of gasoline burn in the air, and the hot gasses expand rapidly,
pushing the cylinder up. Similarly, if a gallon of gasoline was atomized and
ignited in a building, it is very possible that the expanding gassed would push
the walls of the building down. This phenomenon is called an atomized particle
explosion. If a person can effectively atomize a large amount of a highly
flammable substance and ignite it, he could bring down a large building, bridge,
or other structure. Atomizing a large amount of gasoline, for example, can be
extremely difficult, unless one has the aid of a high explosive. If a gallon
jug of gasoline was placed directly over a high explosive charge, and the charge
was detonated, the gasoline would instantly be atomized and ignited. If this
occurred in a building, for example, an atomized particle explosion would surely
occur. Only a small amount of high explosive would be necessary to accomplish
this feat, about 1/2 a pound of T.N.T. or 1/4 a pound of R.D.X. Also, instead
of gasoline, powdered aluminum could be used. It is necessary that a high
explosive be used to atomize a flammable material, since a low-order explosion
does not occur quickly enough to atomize or ignite the flammable material.
4.54 LIGHTBULB BOMBS
An automatic reaction to walking into a dark room is to turn on the
light. This can be fatal, if a lightbulb bomb has been placed in the overhead
light socket. A lightbulb bomb is surprisingly easy to make. It also comes
with its own initiator and electric ignition system. On some lightbulbs, the
lightbulb glass can be removed from the metal base by heating the base of a
lightbulb in a gas flame, such as that of a blowtorch or gas stove. This must
be done carefully, since the inside of a lightbulb is a vacuum. When the glue
gets hot enough, the glass bulb can be pulled off the metal base. On other
bulbs, it is necessary to heat the glass directly with a blowtorch or
oxy-acetylene torch. When the bulb is red hot, a hole must be carefully poked
in the bulb, remembering the vacuum state inside the bulb. In either case,
once the bulb and/or base has cooled down to room temperature or lower, the
bulb can be filled with an explosive material, such as black powder. If the
glass was removed from the metal base, it must be glued back on to the base
with epoxy. If a hole was put in the bulb, a piece of duct tape is sufficient
to hold the explosive in the in the bulb. Then, after making sure that the
socket has no power by checking with a working lightbulb, all that need be
done is to screw the lightbulb bomb into the socket. Such a device has been
used by terrorists or assassins with much success, since nobody can search the
room for a bomb without first turning on the light.
4.55 BOOK BOMBS
Concealing a bomb can be extremely difficult in a day and age where
perpetrators of violence run wild. Bags and briefcases are often searched
by authorities whenever one enters a place where an individual might intend
to set off a bomb. One approach to disguising a bomb is to build what is
called a book bomb; an explosive device that is entirely contained inside of
a book. Usually, a relatively large book is required, and the book must be of
the hardback variety to hide any protrusions of a bomb. Dictionaries, law
books, large textbooks, and other such books work well. When an individual
makes a bookbomb, he/she must choose a type of book that is appropriate for
the place where the book bomb will be placed. The actual construction of a
book bomb can be done by anyone who possesses an electric drill and a coping
saw. First, all of the pages of the book must be glued together. By pouring
an entire container of water-soluble glue into a large bucket, and filling
the bucket with boiling water, a glue-water solution can be made that will
hold all of the book's pages together tightly. After the glue-water solution
has cooled to a bearable temperature, and the solution has been stirred well,
the pages of the book must be immersed in the glue-water solution, and each
page must be thoroughly soaked. It is extremely important that the covers of
the book do not get stuck to the pages of the book while the pages are drying.
Suspending the book by both covers and clamping the pages together in a vice
works best. When the pages dry, after about three days to a week, a hole must
be drilled into the now rigid pages, and they should drill out much like wood.
Then, by inserting the coping saw blade through the pages and sawing out a
rectangle from the middle of the book, the individual will be left with a shell
of the book's pages. The pages, when drilled out, should look like this:
________________________
| ____________________ |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |__________________| |
|______________________|
(book covers omitted)
This rectangle must be securely glued to the back cover of the book.
After building his/her bomb, which usually is of the timer or radio controlled
variety, the bomber places it inside the book. The bomb itself, and whatever
timer or detonator is used, should be packed in foam to prevent it from rolling
or shifting about. Finally, after the timer is set, or the radio control has
been turned on, the front cover is glued closed, and the bomb is taken to its
destination.
4.56 PHONE BOMBS
The phone bomb is an explosive device that has been used in the past
to kill or injure a specific individual. The basic idea is simple: when the
person answers the phone, the bomb explodes. If a small but powerful high
explosive device with a squib was placed in the phone receiver, when the
current flowed through the receiver, the squib would explode, detonating the
high explosive in the person's hand. Nasty. All that has to be done is
acquire a squib, and tape the receiver switch down. Unscrew the mouthpiece
cover, and remove the speaker, and connect the squib's leads where it was.
Place a high explosive putty, such as C-1 (see section 3.31) in the receiver,
and screw the cover on, making sure that the squib is surrounded by the C-1.
Hang the phone up, and leave the tape in place. When the individual to whom
the phone belongs attempts to answer the phone, he will notice the tape, and
remove it. This will allow current to flow through the squib. Note that
the device will not explode by merely making a phone call; the owner of the
phone must lift up the receiver, and remove the tape. It is highly probable
that the phone will be by his/her ear when the device explodes...
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