Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast • Hacker News Board

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#51

Post by jojobas » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 1:32 AM UTC

tomatocracy wrote: post #34

tastyfreeze wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I mean using atomic bombs to manufacture these alloys at scale. In the 50s a-bombs were proposed for all sorts of workaday uses. Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. I am sure that somebody will take up the task of reproducing these alloys using intense heat from a non-atomic source. New alloys can be quite lucrative but developing them requires just as much experimentation as making…

Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.

Soviets also blew up a 140kt bomb to make a lake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagan_(lake,_Abai_Region)

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#52

Post by EdwardDiego » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 1:53 AM UTC

> hiroshimaite

Today I learned an interesting new word, which is led me to its analogues:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitite

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#53

Post by yieldcrv » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 2:04 AM UTC

[flagged]

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#54

Post by paulgerhardt » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 2:13 AM UTC

mauvehaus wrote: post #48

tomatocracy wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.

They what?! Can we please get a link to this to read more?! And yes, I have the same Google as you, but I'd love a link to your preferred telling of the tale of how the Soviets nuked a gas well fire just a couple years before I was born.

I recall we were seriously talking about using one during the early days of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. For a variety of reasons it wouldn’t have worked in that instance.

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-soviets-nuked-gas-well-f...

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#55

Post by dghlsakjg » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 2:40 AM UTC

tomatocracy wrote: post #34

tastyfreeze wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I mean using atomic bombs to manufacture these alloys at scale. In the 50s a-bombs were proposed for all sorts of workaday uses. Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. I am sure that somebody will take up the task of reproducing these alloys using intense heat from a non-atomic source. New alloys can be quite lucrative but developing them requires just as much experimentation as making…

Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.

My grandfather worked as the lead geologist on Project Rulison. That was the fracking shot in western CO.

Apparently the shot was quite successful as a natural gas fracking technique, but quite a bit of radon also was released.

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#56

Post by NopIdoN » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 2:48 AM UTC

it took so long to find because it's been hiding

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#57

Post by 3eb7988a1663 » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 4:31 AM UTC

mauvehaus wrote: post #48

tomatocracy wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.

They what?! Can we please get a link to this to read more?! And yes, I have the same Google as you, but I'd love a link to your preferred telling of the tale of how the Soviets nuked a gas well fire just a couple years before I was born.

Wikipedia has an article about it[0]. Gas had been leaking for three years before they were able to use a nuke to seal the well. Estimated that it was burning 12 million m3 of gas daily.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#58

Post by stevenwoo » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 4:34 AM UTC

tastyfreeze wrote: post #12

GolfPopper wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What, you mean, like American Machine and Foundry building nuclear reactors? https://www.ans.org/news/article-1858/elk-river-rural-americ...

No, I mean using atomic bombs to manufacture these alloys at scale. In the 50s a-bombs were proposed for all sorts of workaday uses. Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. I am sure that somebody will take up the task of reproducing these alloys using intense heat from a non-atomic source. New alloys can be quite lucrative but developing them requires just as much experimentation as making…

IIRC in “Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman” he recalls being asked during Manhattan Project (?) for ideas to commercialize atomic energy and they patented whatever the scientists brainstormed up.

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#59

Post by gilleain » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 5:16 AM UTC

3eb7988a1663 wrote: post #57

mauvehaus wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They what?! Can we please get a link to this to read more?! And yes, I have the same Google as you, but I'd love a link to your preferred telling of the tale of how the Soviets nuked a gas well fire just a couple years before I was born.

Wikipedia has an article about it[0]. Gas had been leaking for three years before they were able to use a nuke to seal the well. Estimated that it was burning 12 million m3 of gas daily. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field

Interesting, however that was 1966:

> the explosive was detonated at a depth of 1,500 m (1,640 yd) on 30 September 1966. The hole that the explosive was lowered into had also been sealed with cement so as to prevent atmospheric radioactive contamination.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Explosions_for_the_Nat...

> The last nuclear explosion by the Program 7, codenamed Rubin-1, was performed in Arkhangelsk Oblast on September 6, 1988.

Although there is no separate page for that.

Re: Discovery of a multicomponent alloy forged by the Hiroshima atomic blast

#60

Post by somat » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 6:43 AM UTC

tomatocracy wrote: post #34

tastyfreeze wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I mean using atomic bombs to manufacture these alloys at scale. In the 50s a-bombs were proposed for all sorts of workaday uses. Imagine using a small a-bomb for mining just as we use ANFO today. I am sure that somebody will take up the task of reproducing these alloys using intense heat from a non-atomic source. New alloys can be quite lucrative but developing them requires just as much experimentation as making…

Both the US and the Soviet Union actually experimented with "nuclear fracking" in oil/gas fields. The Soviet Union also used atomic bombs to put out fires in gas fields as late as 1981.