干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Environmental acceptability of high-performance alternatives for depleted uranium penetrators

Arid

DOI	10.2172/464128
报告编号	ORNL/TM--13286
来源ID	OSTI_ID: 464128
	Environmental acceptability of high-performance alternatives for depleted uranium penetrators
	Kerley, C.R.; Easterly, C.E.; Eckerman, K.F. [and others]
英文摘要	The Army`s environmental strategy for investigating material substitution and management is to measure system environmental gains/losses in all phases of the material management life cycle from cradle to grave. This study is the first in a series of new investigations, applying material life cycle concepts, to evaluate whether there are environmental benefits from increasing the use of tungsten as an alternative to depleted uranium (DU) in Kinetic Energy Penetrators (KEPs). Current military armor penetrators use DU and tungsten as base materials. Although DU alloys have provided the highest performance of any high-density alloy deployed against enemy heavy armor, its low-level radioactivity poses a number of environmental risks. These risks include exposures to the military and civilian population from inhalation, ingestion, and injection of particles. Depleted uranium is well known to be chemically toxic (kidney toxicity), and workplace exposure levels are based on its renal toxicity. Waste materials containing DU fragments are classified as low-level radioactive waste and are regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These characteristics of DU do not preclude its use in KEPs. However, long-term management challenges associated with KEP deployment and improved public perceptions about environmental risks from military activities might be well served by a serious effort to identify, develop, and substitute alternative materials that meet performance objectives and involve fewer environmental risks. Tungsten, a leading candidate base material for KEPS, is potentially such a material because it is not radioactive. Tungsten is less well studied, however, with respect to health impacts and other environmental risks. The present study is designed to contribute to the understanding of the environmental behavior of tungsten by synthesizing available information that is relevant to its potential use as a penetrator.
出版年	1996
报告类型	Technical Report
语种	英语
国家	美国
来源学科分类	45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE ; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE ; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES ; 56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE, APPLIED STUDIES ; TUNGSTEN ; BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ; DEPLETED URANIUM ; PENETRATORS ; DESIGN ; HEALTH HAZARDS ; TOXICITY ; MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
URL	http://www.osti.gov/scitech/servlets/purl/464128
资源类型	科技报告
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/266655
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Kerley, C.R.,Easterly, C.E.,Eckerman, K.F. [and others]. Environmental acceptability of high-performance alternatives for depleted uranium penetrators,1996.