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| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
if you've ever worked around cut steel (i have) that was done with a torch. you can just tell from the cuts and the slag residue
you go ahead and let your imagination soar though, 'coug |
BYU physics Professor Steven Jones discovered traces of thermite in steel samples taken from the World Trade Center.
"Using advanced techniques we're finding out what's in these samples - we're finding iron, sulphur, potassium and manganese - these are characteristic of a variation of thermite which is used to cut through steel very rapidly, it's called thermate," said Professor Jones.
THERMATE
Thermate, or Thermate-TH3, is an incendiary compound primarily used for military applications. Because of the similarity in names, thermate is sometimes confused with one of its components, thermite.
Thermate is a mixture of thermite and pyrotechnic additives which has been found to be superior to standard thermite for incendiary purposes. Its composition by weight is generally thermite 68.7%, barium nitrate 29.0%, sulphur 2.0% and binder 0.3%. Addition of barium nitrate to thermite increases its thermal effect, creates flame in burning and significantly reduces the ignition temperature.
Thermate is used in incendiary hand grenades.
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