3 ms·

What is low-background steel?

• natpalmer1776 3y ago
  Low-background steel, also known as pre-war steel, is any steel produced prior to the detonation of the first nuclear bombs in the 1940s and 1950s. Typically sourced from ships (either as part of regular scrapping or shipwrecks) and other steel artifacts of this era, it is often used for modern particle detectors because more modern steel is contaminated with traces of nuclear fallout. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel
  • rnk 3y ago
    Very interesting. Wiki also says it's not needed for most uses now since that background radiation has greatly reduced since we stopped blowing up bombs in the atmosphere. "... background radiation has decreased to very near natural levels ... low-background steel no longer necessary for most radiation-sensitive applications,... However, some demand remains for the most radiation-sensitive applications, such as Geiger counters and sensing equipment aboard spacecraft. For the most demanding applications even low-background steel can be too radioactive and other materials like high purity copper may be used."