Strong link/weak link (original) (raw)
A strong link/weak link and exclusion zone nuclear detonation mechanism is a type of safety mechanism employed in the arming and firing mechanisms of modern nuclear weapons. The safety mechanism starts by enclosing the electronics and mechanical components used to arm and fire the nuclear weapon with a mechanical and electrical isolation barrier, the energy barrier, which encloses and defines the exclusion zone. This is insulated from mechanical, thermal, and electrical disruptions (such as static electricity, lightning, or fire).
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| dbo:abstract | A strong link/weak link and exclusion zone nuclear detonation mechanism is a type of safety mechanism employed in the arming and firing mechanisms of modern nuclear weapons. The safety mechanism starts by enclosing the electronics and mechanical components used to arm and fire the nuclear weapon with a mechanical and electrical isolation barrier, the energy barrier, which encloses and defines the exclusion zone. This is insulated from mechanical, thermal, and electrical disruptions (such as static electricity, lightning, or fire). Between the exclusion zone and the actual detonators, a normally-disconnected link mechanism is used, such as a switch which has a built-in motor to activate it. The arming system has to activate the switch in order to connect the firing circuits to the detonators in the weapon. This disconnection, which requires the arming mechanism to operate, is called the strong link. It is possible for an accident (rocket explosion, airplane crash, accident while weapon is being moved) to disrupt the weapon and break the integrity of the exclusion zone. As a safety mechanism, a weak link is also built into the system. This is a set of components designed to fail at lower stresses (thermal, mechanical, and electrical) than the strong links, and will prevent signals from the strong links from reaching the detonators. The weak link acts to break the connection to the detonators before the strong link could be disrupted and fail by the stress of an accident: by the time the strong links fail, the weapon has already been rendered permanently inoperable. Strong links and the following weak links are intentionally co-located, so that they will experience similar environmental conditions. The following table summarises the effects of failure modes in the strong and weak links: (en) |
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| rdfs:comment | A strong link/weak link and exclusion zone nuclear detonation mechanism is a type of safety mechanism employed in the arming and firing mechanisms of modern nuclear weapons. The safety mechanism starts by enclosing the electronics and mechanical components used to arm and fire the nuclear weapon with a mechanical and electrical isolation barrier, the energy barrier, which encloses and defines the exclusion zone. This is insulated from mechanical, thermal, and electrical disruptions (such as static electricity, lightning, or fire). (en) |
| rdfs:label | Strong link/weak link (en) |
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