Topic: Chain Link fence as cover

[RandalThor]

Heh, didn't consider that, but when being chased by people with stunners, turn and fight back from behind a fence.

That would work only if the stunner was electricity-based. For the higher-tech ones that could be....well, whatever (it's called science-fiction for a reason), the fence may not bother them at all.

[GrumpyOldFart]

It might act as a partial Faraday cage, I won't claim to be enough of a scientist to know.

[arakish]

Heh, didn't consider that, but when being chased by people with stunners, turn and fight back from behind a fence.

That would work only if the stunner was electricity-based. For the higher-tech ones that could be....well, whatever (it's called science-fiction for a reason), the fence may not bother them at all.

It might act as a partial Faraday cage, I won't claim to be enough of a scientist to know.

Also depends on how powerful the electricity-based bolt is.  If it were lightning bolt (1-5 million volts) strength, then I doubt the fence would make much difference.  However, if it was only a couple of kilovolts, then the fence will probably stop it, or disperse it enough to almost negate it.

Like you, I am not versed well enough into electrical conductivity to know for sure.  However, I do know about the 1 to 5 megavolts.  That would melt/vaporize the fence and keep going.

rmfr

[GrumpyOldFart]

I was thinking in terms of RF as much as actual electricity. Again, I won't claim to know, but as I understand it pilots experience problems with radar caused by the proximity of wind farms. You might get something similar.

[markc]

I was thinking in terms of RF as much as actual electricity. Again, I won't claim to know, but as I understand it pilots experience problems with radar caused by the proximity of wind farms. You might get something similar.

 I can see the blades of the turbines deflecting radar beams and not being the ideal terrain to fly through.
MDC

[arakish]

I was thinking in terms of RF as much as actual electricity. Again, I won't claim to know, but as I understand it pilots experience problems with radar caused by the proximity of wind farms. You might get something similar.

Absolutely correct.  The sudden electrical charge would create RFI and EMI.  At least I think it would.  I'll research it and post results.

rmfr

[GrumpyOldFart]

I wasn't a radar guy in the Navy, but just from observation, radar dishes tend to be made out of (or rather "surfaced" with, as much as you can say an open gridwork has a "surface") something very like chain link fence. Like anything else having to do with wave guidance, I assume the size and shape of the gridwork is quite specific to the frequencies of RF it's opaque to, transparent to and reflective of.

But again, I'm not a radar guy, that's just guesswork.

I can see the blades of the turbines deflecting radar beams and not being the ideal terrain to fly through.
MDC

From what I understand, they can cause some kind of radar ghosting miles out. I haven't read up on it enough to know though.

[Marc R]

I suspect a chain link fence, if set in the ground, would stop a natural lightningbolt from passing through it.

(Like if you made an archway of chainlink, it's unlikely you'd be struck standing under it, with that nice conductive metal to choose instead.)

[arakish]

I was thinking in terms of RF as much as actual electricity. Again, I won't claim to know, but as I understand it pilots experience problems with radar caused by the proximity of wind farms. You might get something similar.

Absolutely correct.  The sudden electrical charge would create RFI and EMI.  At least I think it would.  I'll research it and post results.

I wasn't a radar guy in the Navy, but just from observation, radar dishes tend to be made out of (or rather "surfaced" with, as much as you can say an open gridwork has a "surface") something very like chain link fence. Like anything else having to do with wave guidance, I assume the size and shape of the gridwork is quite specific to the frequencies of RF it's opaque to, transparent to and reflective of.

I wasn't a radar guy in the Navy either.  However, I do have some textbooks on electricity.  All of the above are true.  However, like the lightning bolt, the RFI and EMI effect is mostly instantaneous.  Much like the sparkle of static you'd hear over the radio in a thunderstorm.  In other words, the RFI and EMI would only lasts as long as electricity is supplied.

rmfr