Comment 5Q5M Re: Similarities to Reactive Armor and Shockwave Disruption

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Boeing granted patent for force field

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Similarities to Reactive Armor and Shockwave Disruption (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-03-24 23:02 (#5NMZ)

If I'm interpreting the image correctly, it looks like maybe this is closer to reactive armor, than it is to force fields?

If an explosive shockwave is simply a front of pressure differential traveling through air as it's medium, and thus effectively a very strong/coarse a sound wave, then it's subject to disruptive interference, right?

They don't claim to eliminate the shockwave, but only attenuate it. Based on that, it seems like an opposing shockwave of comparable force might dampen or lessen the front of the shockwave, by way of disruptive interference.

Otherwise, would maybe just introducing turbulence or loud randomized noise into the path of a shockwave manage to "attenuate" it?

It is possible that just the loud crack of an electrical arc would be enough to reduce the intensity of a blast wave?

Re: Similarities to Reactive Armor and Shockwave Disruption (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-03-25 13:55 (#5Q5M)

If an explosive shockwave is simply a front of pressure differential traveling through air as it's medium, and thus effectively a very strong/coarse a sound wave, then it's subject to disruptive interference, right?
An alternate/reworded explanation -- if the invention can produce a relatively large volume of very low density (gas or plasma), then there is no medium for explosive shockwave propagation through the atmosphere (because there isn't any atmosphere in that volume). Shrapnel from the explosion will keep on coming...

Junk Status

Marked as [Not Junk] by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-03-28 08:14