Vehicles and EMPs?

[Nowhere Man 1966]

I think most civilian vehicles would survive, the car body itself can act as a Faraday shield, unless you have a Corvette or something. I work in auto parts and most parts are designed to work in a less than optimum environment with heat, cold bumpy roads and so on. I think I read a link somewhere that the government did test EMP against cars made from 1986 to 2002 or so and all or most survived, a couple quit running but they started up again I think. I know Ford did an EMP study in 1967 where cars are not affected too much but most car electronics then were less complex than today's.

Chuck M.

[Mohoender]

I think most civilian vehicles would survive, the car body itself can act as a Faraday shield.

Chuck M.

Very true and very possible indeed (I always forget about that faraday thing). However, I think one of us said that infrastructures were not shielded or protected at all. As a result, you'll quickly have to face a shortage in electronic spare parts. With no proper care, I wouldn't expect the most modern car to survive long, nevertheless. In addition, with no diagnosis computers most mechanics might have trouble fixing them.

[chico20854]

One other factor to consider about shielding: do underground parking lots and highway tunnels provide protection I know they are quite effective in killing off radio broadcasts and mobile phone transmissions. Anybody have any ideas

[Mohoender]

No clue but that might also be true for old stone buildings. My house is quite good at shielding these stuffs too. However, from a wild guess I would think that it would depend on intensity.

[Targan]

I imagine that reinforced concrete (ie concrete with steel rods or mesh through it to strengthen it) would provide more protection against EMP than normal concrete or rock because it might act as a kind of basic Faraday cage. I could be wrong on this though.

[kato13]

Since mountains cause an EMP shadows I would have to assume that some amount of concrete or earth would offer protection.

EMP also causes a problem with reradiation where a long piece of metal will absorb and retransmit. Phone lines might radiate energy within a basement for example. However since such radiation is generated in all directions the range is quite short (a few feet).

[Mohoender]

Since mountains cause an EMP shadows I would have to assume that some amount of concrete or earth would offer protection.

Then, an old medieval type building might even offer more protection than a non purposedly made concrete building (still I have no clue on this but if anyone has, I'll be glad to hear from it).

[Legbreaker]

I've been deep in research on the effects of EMP for most of the day and come to several conclusions based on the information I've read. Sources include papers written for the US military, scientific studies, and apparently "authoritive" books on the subject such as The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, by Glasstone and Dolan.

Firstly, a car IS likely to be effected by EMP. The body will not act as a "Faraday cage" or at least not to any significant amount. Rubber tyres will do absolutely nothing to offset the effects of EMP, otherwise planes would also be exempt.

Sheilding in all cases includes earthing - direct contact to the earth using a conductor. Rubber tyres actually prevent this occuring. I'm not sure how this is achieved with aircraft but I'll continue to investigate.

Solid metal plates are the material of choice when attempting to shield anything although burying cables, etc is advised (with metal sheeting laid over the top). Therefore, it's likely underground garages, caves, etc will have some impact on EMP.

Just because it doesn't state in the various versions of history that high altitude bursts occured, doesn't mean they didn't happen. It does state though that satellites in orbit were targeted and destroyed. Not knowing anything about ASAT weaponry, I would have to say it's at least possible low yield nukes were responsible for a few dead spy satellites. In fact EMP might be especially devastating to them but as they're shielded against cosmic radiation, etc, who knows

And now for some good news. Although vehicles such as cars, trucks, wheeled AFVs, aircraft, even ships would be effected, tanks and other tracked AFVs are likely to suffer only minimal EMP effects. This is mainly because the armour itself acts as shielding AND most importantly, the metal tracks mean the vehicle is constantly grounded!

Naturally many of these vehicles might still fall victim, especially if radio antenna are still raised, hatches open, etc, or they're just too close to the source of the EMP.

[Mohoender]

Interesiting Leg.

[Canadian Army]

Cars and trucks knocked out by EMP

I have been doing research as well. What I came up with is that it's basically a crap shoot, when it comes to whether cars and trucks would not be knocked out by EMP. According to tests done at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and at the US Military's EMP simulators, some cars have proven to be resistant to EMP, while other have not. The age, make, and car model, have nothing to do with whether cars and trucks can be knocked out or can not knocked out by EMP; it has to do with the position of the cars electronic components. If the electronic components are position in a certain way, the body of the car will almost act as a Faraday Box and protect the internal electronic components. Also they found out during these tests; that in some of the cars that failed to survive the EMP pulse, only the electronic ignition was damaged, and therefore those could be used once the electronic ignition was bypassed.

[Canadian Army]

Sites

Here are some sites about EMP

http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/emp.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Altitude_Electromagnetic_Pulse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse

[Mohoender]

Euh I might be wrong but from what I know, older cars have no electronics and, as a result, wouldn't be knocked out by EMP. Therefore, age has to do with it.

I don't know if the electrical system can be destroyed as well but replacing a bunch of electrical wires will not be that much of a problem. Even, finding or making a battery is faisable.

[Legbreaker]

Electrical systems are also effected.

Older systems are more "robust" I suppose is the best description, simply because the damaged parts can be replaced much easier than modern wiring and electronics.

Finding parts to do it on the other hand.....

[Targan]

Older systems are more "robust" I suppose is the best description, simply because the damaged parts can be replaced much easier than modern wiring and electronics...

REALLY old electronic systems that use vacuum tubes are incredibly resistant to EMP apparently. Not so easy to replace though.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

REALLY old electronic systems that use vacuum tubes are incredibly resistant to EMP apparently.

Apparently one of the reasons the USSR kept using vacuum tube tech for aircraft & radios well past the time they could make transistors