Re: Wire Obstacles

G'day,
	Just a dumb question. You may have covered this already as I
haven't been
following very closely. But what kind of molecules are we talking about?
What kind of molecular bonds? If they're only joined by the kind of
molecular bonds I know about wouldn't appropriate electric/magnetic
fields
break it up (by exciting the electrons in the bonds enough so that they
jump out of that orbital thereby breaking the bond - if they're not in a
lattice of some kind I would have thought this was a strong
possibility)?
Sorry if this really dumb,

Beth

At 09:28 8/05/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Jon wrote:
>I see Monofilament as a case of setting up the dispenser, standing way
>the hell back, pressing a button, and a whole mess of it shoots out.  I
>can't think of how you'd work with it.  And don't forget that it's damn
>near impossible to clear totally, so you can't use it on real estate
>you plan to own after the war.
>
>Actually the problem with MF is that it requires tension and force to
work.
>Concentina Wire has tension and strength and sharpness.  The shapness
is
>the efficiency at which the wire reflects energy back (the rest going
into
>compressing and stretching the wire).	The surface that the CW works
>against must be firm (like a limb or a steel pole) so that it can
easily
>reflect the energy back and it must have a surface strength that is
less
>than the energy reflected back (like a limb but not like a steel pole).
>
>Now then, the problem with MF is that is is sharp enough that it can
cut
>through a steel pole, but unless it is perfectly efficient, which it
won't
>be because it is manufactured and there are bound to be imperfections,
some
>of the energy is going to go back into the wire. The wire isn't very
thick
>so you are relying on the strength between the molocules to hold it
>together. this means that if you repeatedly beat on it it will break.
(You
>might end up with a pile of neatly cut steel pipe, but eventually it
will
>break.)
>
>The best way to clear it would be to roll a big steam roller over it
that
>had a sticky surface. Perhaps you could have a glue dispenser over the
>roller as it went across. You could even use a hand pushed roller.
>Alternatively you could just dig it up with a front end loader or
bulldozer
>or apply fire to it (remember it is very thin and will melt and burn
>easily) and render it a non-military obstacle. (hell, the first rain
you
>get will ruin a good portion of it and if there is wind involved and
you
>haven't anchored it properly there is probably a court martial
involved.)
>
>OK, so it is easy to remove if you have the right equipment. The major
>advantage it has is it is relatively invisible if laced into bushes and
>underbrush. Talk about slowing an advance - just use the spray
dispenser to
>cover your retreat.  I'd be scared shitless about going into any sort
of
>wooded cover if I even thought someone might have placed that wire in
>there!
>
>
>
>