How Does It Work?

Prepared By:-Ali Asgar Master

Kathan ParikhShiven Joshi

Nagasaki Mushroom cloud.13 km high!

Nuclear Bomb Classification

Nuclear Bomb

A- Bomb

Gun Type

Implosion Type

H-Bomb

Thermonuclear Bomb

A- Bomb

All existing Nuclear Bombs Derive some of their energy from fission reactions.

• The Bombs which derive their energy exclusively from Fission Reactions are called Atomic Bombs.

This is a misnomer as the energy is derived from its nucleus

• It is of two types :- Gun type & Implosion type

Gun Type A- Bomb

Some sub critical fissile material is held in place.

• Then another sub critical uranium mass is shot into it using high explosives.

The contact continues for about a microsecond and together the mass becomes super critical which results in nuclear fission chain reaction.

Implosion Type A-Bomb

Another method of nuclear detonation is to fashion a sphere of Fissile material of sub-critical mass.

• Then a shell of high explosives is made of fitting pieces called lenses that drive most of the explosion inward.

Due to this the fissile material is compressed to the point where it is super-critical and chain reaction commences.

• It lasts about a microsecond and destroys a city.

H- Bomb

It is made up of essentially, 3 things:-

1. Implosion Type Fission Bomb:- It contains a core of U-235 and a tamper of U-238

2. Fusion Bomb:- A cylinder containing a core rod of Plutonium-239 surrounded by lithium-duterate fuel with a tamper of U-238.

3. Polystyrene foam:- The empty spaces are filled by it.

H- Bomb Working

The Implosion type fission bomb goes off producing high heat, X-Rays and neutrons.

• The X-rays heat the Foam and the tamper around Fusion Bomb, which squeezes the fuel.

Fission is initiated in the plutonium rod producing neutrons.

• These mix with Lithium-deuterate and produce deuterium and tritium, which in such high temperatures and pressures form helium, high heat, X-Rays, neutrons.

•It produces 700-times the energy released by the bombs exploded in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Different Fuels Used

UraniumIsotopes:-U233:- 7x 108

U235:-1592 x 102

U238:-4468 x 106

PlutoniumIsotopesPu239:- 24110

ThoriumIsotopesTh229:- 7340

Th230:- 75,380

Th232:- 1405 x 107

NeptuniumIsotopes

Np237:- 214 x 104

Bomb Power•These Bombs Produce large amounts of energy.

•1 kg. of TNT is enough to make this Building fall.

•The yeild of “Little Boy” detonated in Hiroshima was 20000 tons.

•The yeild of first thermonuclear bomb was 10,000,000 tons.

•Hence, while atomic bombs are capable of destroying a city, Hydrogen Bombs are capable of destroying small nations.

•The Tsar bomb of Russia may destroy half of India.

Nuclear Bomb stockpile chart