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The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

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31–40 of 68 posts

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#31
post #3

What if the helicopter would have to operate in a contaminated area? Wouldn't it cause false positives? > The CH-53 Sea Stallion first entered service in 1966 1966 is Cold War era, so, I think, an idea that a military helicopter would have to fly in an area that has been recently nuked wasn't totally inconceivable...

I imagine that if you're flying through an active nuclear war, false positives from the blade crack detector are pretty far down your list of things to worry about.

At that point a blade crack might be the best option

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#32
post #28
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a good comment: MH-53E maintainer here. The system is IBIS (Inflight Blade Inspection System) and the little pods are BIM (blade inspection monitors). The box is pretty obvious sitting just behind the main rotor on the deck above the center engine. I found a random picture on the web: https://assets.verticalmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/MH... And: The IBIS devices provide in-flight warning of blade failu…

What does “inches” mean here

Presumably the measure of distance from the source to receive dosages under those conditions.

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#33
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exposure to a nuclear blast doesn't necessarily make things radioactive. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not radioactive wastelands. Even in Chernobyl, the other reactors continued to operate for a time after the accident, and nature is thriving. But, the radiation detector is on the upper surface of the rear fuselage. Hypothetical Beta particles from the ground will strike the underside of the aircraft and not the detect…

Strontium-90 is a major component of fallout and strongly in the ‘really not good for you’ category.

Nothing I wrote refutes that

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#34
post #2

The article is very vague on how the radioactivity allows detection of leaking gas. The video at the bottom explains from 7:50 in. Gas pressure pressing on a spring holds a radiation shield in place. If the gas leaks the shield moves and the radiation can be detected.

[deleted]

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#35
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strontium-90 is a major component of fallout and strongly in the ‘really not good for you’ category.

Nothing I wrote refutes that

fallout is present in dust in the air. it’s radiation would not be coming only from below the helicopter.

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#36
post #10
post #2

The article is very vague on how the radioactivity allows detection of leaking gas. The video at the bottom explains from 7:50 in. Gas pressure pressing on a spring holds a radiation shield in place. If the gas leaks the shield moves and the radiation can be detected.

There's a good comment: MH-53E maintainer here. The system is IBIS (Inflight Blade Inspection System) and the little pods are BIM (blade inspection monitors). The box is pretty obvious sitting just behind the main rotor on the deck above the center engine. I found a random picture on the web: https://assets.verticalmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/MH... And: The IBIS devices provide in-flight warning of blade failu…

The video explains it pretty well. There's a spring loaded plunger in that IBIS sensor that can be seen visually by mechanics on the ground. When the pressure drops, the plunger retracts, showing a visual indication. At the same time, it also removes the rad source from its shielding when it does that, increasing emissions for the in flight sensor to see.

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#37
post #28
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a good comment: MH-53E maintainer here. The system is IBIS (Inflight Blade Inspection System) and the little pods are BIM (blade inspection monitors). The box is pretty obvious sitting just behind the main rotor on the deck above the center engine. I found a random picture on the web: https://assets.verticalmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/MH... And: The IBIS devices provide in-flight warning of blade failu…

What does “inches” mean here

[deleted]

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#38
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing I wrote refutes that

fallout is present in dust in the air. it’s radiation would not be coming only from below the helicopter.

I guess in this extremely contrived hypothetical where a Navy helicopter flies through heavily-irradiated dust cloud from a nuclear detonation, yes, the blade alarms might go off spuriously. Well done.

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#39
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

fallout is present in dust in the air. it’s radiation would not be coming only from below the helicopter.

I guess in this extremely contrived hypothetical where a Navy helicopter flies through heavily-irradiated dust cloud from a nuclear detonation, yes, the blade alarms might go off spuriously. Well done.

what helicopter do you expect EXCEPT a navy helicopter to be flying through the fallout from a nuclear explosion?

especially with all the nuclear tests they were doing for decades?

Re: The Helicopter with Radioactive Blades

#40
post #2

The article is very vague on how the radioactivity allows detection of leaking gas. The video at the bottom explains from 7:50 in. Gas pressure pressing on a spring holds a radiation shield in place. If the gas leaks the shield moves and the radiation can be detected.

The titanium spar is filled with gas. If there was a crack in the spar the gas would escape, therefore tripping the pressure sensitive radiation shield. Releasing radiation that can be detected inside the helicopter. Wireless systems aren’t used for opsec reasons.

carrying a radiation source doesn't sound very opsec either to be honest...
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