NIST on Practicality of Thermite Controlled Demolition

"On August 30, 2006, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) posted on their website a list of fourteen frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers to them."

Let's focus in on number 12:

12. Did the NIST investigation look for evidence of the WTC towers being brought down by controlled demolition? Was the steel tested for explosives or thermite residues? The combination of thermite and sulfur (called thermate) "slices through steel like a hot knife through butter."

NIST did not test for the residue of these compounds in the steel.

The responses to questions number 2, 4, 5 and 11 demonstrate why NIST concluded that there were no explosives or controlled demolition involved in the collapses of the WTC towers.

Furthermore, a very large quantity of thermite (a mixture of powdered or granular aluminum metal and powdered iron oxide that burns at extremely high temperatures when ignited) or another incendiary compound would have had to be placed on at least the number of columns damaged by the aircraft impact and weakened by the subsequent fires to bring down a tower. Thermite burns slowly relative to explosive materials and can require several minutes in contact with a massive steel section to heat it to a temperature that would result in substantial weakening. Separate from the WTC towers investigation, NIST researchers estimated that at least 0.13 pounds of thermite would be required to heat each pound of a steel section to approximately 700 degrees Celsius (the temperature at which steel weakens substantially). Therefore, while a thermite reaction can cut through large steel columns, many thousands of pounds of thermite would need to have been placed inconspicuously ahead of time, remotely ignited, and somehow held in direct contact with the surface of hundreds of massive structural components to weaken the building. This makes it an unlikely substance for achieving a controlled demolition.

Analysis of the WTC steel for the elements in thermite/thermate would not necessarily have been conclusive. The metal compounds also would have been present in the construction materials making up the WTC towers, and sulfur is present in the gypsum wallboard that was prevalent in the interior partitions. -http://wtc.nist.gov/pubs/factsheets/faqs_8_2006.htm

However these problems are easily overcome by the usage of nano-thermite (metastable intermolecular composites)

1. Amount of thermite and Speed of reaction

Overall though, certain key Metastable intermolecular composites characteristics are very attractive and quite promising for practical applications. These include energy output that is 2x that of typical high explosives, the ability to tune the reactive power (10 KW/cc to 10 GW/cc), tunable reaction front velocities of 0.1-1500 meters/sec, and reaction zone temperature exceeding 3000K."



A Look Inside Nanotechnology
Page 45









http://ammtiac.alionscience.com/pdf/AMPQ6_1.pdf

2. Holding in direct contact with the surface of steel.

2.5.2. I The Thermite Cutting Technique

"The products resulting from the combustion of a thermite compound must be generated in the form of a directed jet and must possess a large store of heat and kinetic energy."

"The application of this cutting technique to nonmetallic materials also seems feasible, especially the dismantling of the reinforced concrete structural elements."

"Almost any metal or nonmetallic material can be subjected to thermite cutting. The thermite cutting process can be petiornied in different attitudes (i.e., without manipulating the articles being cut)."

"The thermite cutting technique is characterized by maneuverability and the small dimensions of its devices, which allows use of the technique in hard-to-reach locations. The pyrotechnic cutting torch can be used with automatic and remote-control systems."

Joint U.S./Russian Study on the
Development of a Decommissioning
Strategy Plan for RBMK-1OOOUnit #1
at the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant:
Appendixes
From OSTI.GOV

One might get the idea that no one in the NIST organization had ever heard of nano-thermites before. But the truth is, many of the scientists and organizations involved in the NIST WTC investigation were not only well aware of nano-thermites, they actually had considerable connection to, and in some cases expertise in, this exact technology.

I highly recommend Kevin Ryan's paper of the top 10 connections between NIST and nano-thermites:

http://www.journalof911studies.com/volume/2008/Ryan_NIST_and_Nano-1.pdf

Related Info:

Statement Regarding Thermite: Part 1 - In Response to some issues raised in Questioin 12 of NIST's Fact Sheet

NIST's World Trade Center FAQ -A Reply to the National Institute for Standards and Technology's Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Compendium of ST911 Member’s Responses To NIST “QUESTIONS & ANSWERS"

9/11 probers skipped key forensic tests