Chapter 6
MICEOBAROGRAPH
6.1
THEEGRY ASD aNaLlysIs
6.1.1
Introdaction
Que primary purpose in couducting the Teak test at the 250,000-foot alti-
tude level was to establish detrectabilicy of acoustic or other signals at Large
distances from high-altitude tests.! Research by Shelton” on bursts to 100,000foot altitudes indicated a wast decrease in energy contained in the blast wave
with increased burst altitude abowe 60,000 feet.
Blast from 125,000 feet alti-
tude was expected by Shelton’s second approximation to contain 18 percent of
the sea level burst blast energy.
Extrapolation of this reasooing showed that
nearly all altrahigh-lewel burst energy would de radiated thermally, and the
pressure wave generated by Teak would be negligible and impossible to detect
by acoustic observation.
Subsequent calculations by Hudson? gave an alternative mechanisa for blastwave generation ia the ozonosphere from Teak from which could come pressure
amplitudes that could be easily derected within a fev miles of ground zero (GZ)
but not at any large distance.
A later study by Bethe* indicated in addition
that about one-fourth of bomb yield would remain in the fons of kinetic energy
of the warhead materials.
The result would be a blast, in the ordinary sense
of the word, that could be scaled in the normal manner.
Sound-ray calculations for a point-source blast wave beginning at the
mesopause level (250,000 feet) showed that nearly two-thirds of the initial
point source acoustic-wave energy could be ducted between the merodecline aod
the low ionosphere (ducted between 150,000 and 300,000 feet).
Blast energy
emitted at declination angles below -35 or -40 degrees strikes the ground at
Fanges out to possibly 100 niles.
This wave is reflected from the ground aod,
as {t nasces through the fonocvhere, a sortion of its surface could be refracted
*aigh-ataosphere terainology from Goody? is used throughout this chapter.
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