Nuclear Weapon Effects Calculator

Nuclear Weapon
Effects Calculator
Originally Written by Mike Wong: 2003-04-24
Revised/Expanded by Ryan Crierie: 2009-04-14

This page will calculate blast effects for nuclear weapons of arbitrary yield, based on the scaling laws printed in Carey Sublette's well-known Nuclear Weapons FAQ, with a few additions from the Effects of Nuclear Weapons and curves found via Curve Expert.

Yield (kilotons)

Overpressure

5,000 PSI Radius
1,000 PSI Radius
300 PSI Radius
100 PSI Radius
20 PSI Radius
10 PSI Radius
5 PSI Radius
3 PSI Radius
1 PSI Radius

Ionizing Radiation

Tenthing Distance

10,000 Rad
1,000 Rad
100 Rad
10 Rad
1 Rad

Miscellaneous

HOB for no Local Fallout (-30%)
HOB for no Local Fallout
HOB for no Local Fallout (+30%)
Fireball Duration
Fireball Minimum Radius
Fireball Airburst Radius
Fireball Groundburst Radius

Thermal Radiation

1st Deg Burn (3 cal/cm2)
2nd Deg Burn (5 cal/cm2)
3rd Deg Burn (8 cal/cm2)
(25 cal/cm2)
(50 cal/cm2)
(100 cal/cm2)

Notes: All figures assume optimum burst height for device; and the HOB for no local fallout is merely an approximation which can be off by as much as 30%; and while there may be local fallout; it will be at levels acceptable under emergency conditions.

General Damage Notes

Hiroshima Examples:

Near-black roof tiles facing the hypocenter blistered at 45 cal/cm². In laboratory tests, this was found to equate to a surface temperature of 1,800 degrees Celsius for less than four seconds.
Upholstery on chairs inside buildings charred at 8.5 cal/cm²
Fabrics, Utility Poles, trees, and wooden posts charred and blackened facing the hypocenter at 3 to 3.4 cal/cm².
Wooden Poles exposed to 5 - 6 cal/cm² were heavily charred and likely were at or near ignition, but had any smoldering fires extinguished by the blast wave.