U. of California unveils first-ever laboratory blast simulator
SAN DIEGO The theory behind this big bang is to improve security. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have made a device that uses heavy rubber pads driven by hydraulic pistons to create the same split-second effects that explosives have on structures.
It's hoped the ten-(m) million-dollar simulator can be used to develop ways of hardening buildings and bridges against terrorist bombs. With the simulator, the absence of an explosive fireball allows high-speed cameras and instruments to record what happens clearly from close up.
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