This document discusses polymeric materials for constructing fallout shelters to withstand nuclear radiation. It proposes a new material called Structural Polymer Concrete (SPC) Series 4.0 that has compressive strengths exceeding reinforced concrete, reaching up to 3,000 kg/cm2. SPC 4.0 is proposed as an ideal material for anti-nuclear bunkers due to its high strength and ability to resist effects of nuclear explosions like shock waves, heat, and radiation better than traditional reinforced concrete structures. The document provides details on the formulation and performance characteristics of SPC 4.0 that make it suitable for nuclear fallout shelters.

1. Study of particular polymeric materials of the 4.0 series for the construction of fallout shelters
by Lamanna Luigi Franco [*]
a) - Introduction
Commonly an anti-nuclear shelter, equipped with particular technological systems, which ensure the complete
aseptic air inside it, is indicated as a housing solution to avoid contamination by nuclear radiation during an
armed conflict with the use of unconventional weapons. .
The envelope is usually made from a load-bearing structure in reinforced concrete and built directly
underground, in depth, to make the most of the shielding action of the ground to defend itself from
contamination by chemical weapons and biological weapons and thus avoid contact with every source of
pollution and ensure the survival of the occupants for a very variable period of time.
In the event of a nuclear disaster, the release of radioactive substances [radioisotopes] does not happen all at
once, but continues over time in the form of gases, vapors and dust. Hence, our exposure to radioactivity is
prolonged and depends on the strength and direction of the winds and on our proximity or distance from the
place where the nuclear disaster occurred.
Fig. 01 – Underground anti-nuclear shelter, located at the bottom of the coast
of the sea, or of a lake or under a swimming pool
The recent military conflict, taking place in Eastern Europe, has led many to think about the possibility of
building a nuclear shelter, commonly called a bunker, in their own backyard.
Today, to build an anti-atomic bunker, the only material known so far is reinforced concrete and steel. The
power of a nuclear device is expressed in kilotons equivalent to the energy released by 100 tons of explosives
but, currently from our recent knowledge on the subject of the construction sector, I wonder, <<… .we are sure
that this [reinforced concrete] is able to resist modern nuclear weapons…. >>. Weapons that today are capable
of reaching a power of 200 megatons that is 200,000,000 tons of TNT [TNT] compared to the 100 kilotons kton
that it has always been said that it was the power that could reach the famous bomb dropped on Hiroshima,
but that in reality, the power of the energy developed was calculated in about 16 kilotons kton [in fact, a precise
estimate has never been made of the power of the energy that has developed but, from recent studies it appears
that it has been among 12.5 and the 20 kilotons kton].
Let me remind you, in terms of explosive power, that one megaton is equivalent to 1,000 kton or 4,184 PJ
[4,184 × 1015J] and represents a measure of the mechanical force of the explosion alone, without
understanding the side effects due to other factors such as the emission of radiation.
I would like to point out that today a nuclear explosion of only 10 megatons is capable of giving rise to a sphere
of plasma [an ionized gas] and incandescent gas with a diameter of 4 to 5 km.

2. Furthermore, the thermal radiation that develops is sufficient to cause fatal burns to any unprotected person
within a radius of about 30 km, [equal to 260 km2].
I point out, and we are all perfectly aware, that the effects of a nuclear explosion are sufficient to collapse most
of our residential and industrial structures made of reinforced concrete, within a radius of about 15 km [equal
to about 800 km2]. In addition to all the reinforced concretestructures that emerge from the ground are swept
away by the effects of the explosion.
Furthermore, within the 5 km radius of the explosion, the average person would receive a dose of ionizing
radiation equal to 500 rem [Röntgen Equivalent Man, bearing in mind that for humans the maximum average
absorbed dose rate annual, in order not to have deterministic effects on health, is equal to 0.5 rem, which is
equivalent to 25 chest radiographs], sufficient alone to cause a mortality rate of 50% to 90% regardless of any
other effects caused by the radiation thermal or enormous explosive pressure.
Fig. 02 – Materials known today for shielding various types of “ionizing radiation”.
b) - Destructive effects resulting from an explosion in the air of an atomic bomb.
b.1) - Thermal effect
Temperatures within the sphere of fire [center of the explosion] develop in the order of millions of degrees
centigrade which involve very considerable temperature variations in the air surrounding the explosion; for
example, with a 1 Megatone bomb at a distance of about 20 km there are still burns to the skin and the heat
is felt up to over 100 km away. Following this very high temperature of the explosion zone, a strong updraft
[generically said “mushroom”] is formed which can also suck up dust and debris.
b.2) - Primary nuclear radiation
The thermonuclear reaction gives rise to short-term direct radiation [X-rays, particles a, b, and neutrons] which
are released into the air and are harmful to human survival. For example, for a 1 megaton bomb, the protection
against X-rays at a distance of 1,500 km from the blast point of explosion required protection with a thickness
of 120 cm of concrete or 35 cm of steel.
b.3) - Shock wave
This can be compared in a first approximation to a very considerable displacement of air [wind of about 1,500
- 1,800 km / h behind the impact front of the explosion].
Very important thing to know for the construction of a bunker [shelter] that, if a nuclear bomb is detonated
under the surface of the ground, it is called an underground explosion, the shock wave, in the ground, dies
down rather quickly and causes the destruction of everything it encounters only in the crater area.
Paper Pastic Aluminum Lead
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Range

3. Fig. 3 - Typical example of a steel fallout shelter in accordance with the regulations:
Civil Defense Shelters – A State-of-the-Art Assessment, 1986
I would like to clarify that the structures made with a polymer cement formulation, of the 4.0 series, which I
have proposed in this article, can resist beyond this area. In fact, above 2.5 times the radius of the crater, the
effect of the shock wave is very negligible.
Fig. 04 – The mushroom cloud, caused by Fat Man on Nagasaki, reached a
height of 18 km on 09 August 1945
b.4) - Secondary nuclear radiation [Fall-Out]
With the very high temperatures that are released and the strong pressures caused, the materials [earth, dust]
are sucked up and heavily contaminated, forming a radioactive cloud that settles in a short time [Immediate
Relapse] or in a longer time [Fall-World Out] depending on the weather conditions and the consistency of the
components.
b.4.1) - Chemical pollution
This event can be determined by the use of weapons that release aggressive chemicals which, in relation to
the main effects on the human body, the weather conditions, the method of spread of the aggressive, can also
be "persistent" [such as to contaminate for long periods large areas]. Aggressive chemicals occur in liquid or
vapor form or in gaseous form.
Toxic clouds can easily trigger large accidental or malicious fires and in any case accidents of various kinds can
be triggered, such as a fire in a chemical plant.
b.4.2) - Bacteriological pollution
The natural characteristic of man, that of being subject to diseases caused by "infections" originating from
microbes or germs, has led man [military strategist] himself to deliberately provoke them with the use of so-
called "biological aggressors".

4. The latter are made up of particular types of microorganisms [microbes] or poisonous substances capable of
causing diseases or epidemics in humans and animals.
RADIOISOTOPES HALF-LIFE OF ITS RADIOACTIVITY
Iodine 132 2,4 hours
Xenon 133 5,2 days
Iodine 131 8 days
Cesium 134 2 years
Krypton 85 10,7 years
Strontium 90 28,5 years
Cesium 137 30,1 years
Plutonium 238 87,7 years
Plutonium 240 6.500 years
Plutonium 239 24.100 years
Uranium 235 700 millions of years
Tabella 1 – Half-life of the main radioactive elements released a nuclear disaster
[that is, the time in which their radioactivity is halved in the environment or, better still,
the time that must pass for half of the nuclei of a given radionuclide to decay]
In relation to the above, let's see what is the effectiveness of an atomic shelter by pointing out that atomic
pollution can be triggered by two causes: a nuclear war or due to accidents in older generation nuclear plants.
c) - General information on anti-pollution shelters: nuclear, chemical, bacteriological.
Leaving others, more competent than me, to deepen and illustrate the topic mentioned above in the
introduction, while my task in this memoir is to analyze, together with you, the problem of the effectiveness
of specific constructions and related materials innovative that can be assessed against the dangers of pollution,
pointing out that the resistance of the shelter is purely random.
The effectiveness of the shelter beyond a limited area surrounding the center of the explosion as protection
[anti-pollution] has been shown to be safe to guarantee the survival of the occupants for a variable period, and
not always definable, such as to guarantee isolation almost total and voluntary from everything that could
constitute a danger in the external environment.
The effects of reinforced concrete construction technology, which are able to ensure a high degree of
protection, can be overcome by concentrating efforts on research in the field of structural materials, of new
innovative materials, such as polymer concrete formulations [SPC Polymer Concrete], of the 4.0 series [the
4.0 series is different from the Structural Polymer Concrete - SPC of the series 1, 2 and 3, already illustrated in
a previous memoir of mine, whose mechanical strengths reached just over 100 MPa] .
They are particular composite materials in which the binder [cement] is totally replaced by "polymers".
In particular, our SPC, of the 4.0 series have particular mechanical strengths after 7 days that can reach and
exceed 1,800 kg / cm2 up to 2,500 - 3,000 kg / cm2, due, in addition to its particular formulation, to present a
porosity zero, due to its particular matrix, to the highly selected quartz inert materials, to the addition of
particular hollow ceramic microspheres, to particular fibers in 100% virgin polypropylene [which do not serve
to break down micro-fractures, because they are non-existent in this type of "Formulation" and which, in my
opinion, should not be called a "mixed design"], and with a careful positioning of particular reinforcements
obtained from the processing of ribbed and expanded steel sheet [P.M.].
Also this polymer, of the 4.0 series, can be used to create prefabricated structures in reinforced concrete. and
for the construction of particular composite structures, of the reticular or mixed steel-SPC type, to create anti-
seismic structures.

5. Fig. 05 – Test on samples of polymeric concrete – SPC - Series 1, 2, 3 and 4.0
In fact, Polymeric Structural Concrete, s. 4.0, subject of this report, from the results of the study, turns out to
be also a very high quality material, always composed of a polymer-based resinous formulation, such as the
SPC formulation and a selected mixture of mineral aggregates, based on silica and quartz , hollow ceramic
microspheres, polypropylene fibers and ribbed steel armor.
This product is ideal for anti-atomic bunkers, because it is able to pass rigorous quality controls where the final
result is a resistance 100 times higher than that of traditional concrete, with compressive strength values that
can reach close to 3,000. kg / cm2. Unfortunately, there are still no standards and / or guidelines to be able to
classify this type of product, thus formulated, which reaches strengths equal to those of steel.
This peculiarity, if necessary, allows to considerably reduce the section of prefabricated elements of structures,
unlike our product called SPC - s. 1, 2 and 3, which were conglomerates, also based on cement [series 1], with
the addition of high molecular weight chemical compounds in aqueous dispersion.
The latter materials are already present on the international market, while the composite material re-
formulated as SPC - s. 4.0, has particular characteristics of mechanical strength and elasticity that the
prefabricated elements, based on cement, do not possess.
d) - Performance characteristics of the SPC
The main performance feature of the SPC - s. 4.0 is its high compressive mechanical strength which varies up
to about 300 MPa, made with particular aggregates not of a mineral nature.
This further increase, up to about 300 MPa, can be obtainedonly if particular formulations made with particular
organic aggregates are used, which however entails very high costs.
In particular, we found:
d.1) -Resistance to compression
Our SPC - s. 4.0, which I think can easily enter the class of concretes defined HSC (High Strength Concrete),
having no reference standards at the moment, applied to prefabricated systems, it can withstand up to 3,000
kg / cm2 compared to the 500 kg / cm2 that is able to withstand traditional concrete.
d.2) - Resistance to bending
Applied to prefabricated structures systems, it can withstand up to 50 - 80 MPa compared to 5 - 4 MPa that
traditional concrete can withstand.
d.3) -Unalterable by freeze / thaw cycles
Our SPC material - s. 4.0, unlike traditional ones, is not in the least compromised by freeze-thaw cycles, which
avoids the appearance of cracks or fissures while preserving all the physical, chemical and mechanical

6. properties. Fundamental feature for the construction of anti-atomic bunkers or other structures in very hostile
areas from the climatic point of view.
d.4) -Lightness
Thanks to the excellent mechanical properties, it is possible to create structures or prefabricated elements of
structures with a thinner profile than traditional concrete. Lightness translates into economy with the
reduction of the use of auxiliary means of transport on site and of course the facilitation of installation with an
unsurpassed yield.
d.5) - Impact resistance
The structures made with our composite material SPC - s. 4.0 resist the wear and tear of use and time,
remaining unaltered for many years even in a total state of neglect without undergoing any maintenance.
d.6) -Inabsorbency
Thanks to its polymeric nature, this material has smooth surfaces with a very low coefficient of friction,
especially in prefabricated structures, where it does not require any protection from atmospheric agents and
also facilitates the rapid flow of rainwater, also offering an index water absorption equal to and equal to zero
[therefore it is possible to easily build structures submerged in sea water and / or particularly aggressive]
d.7) -Resistance to chemicals
Our SPC - s. 4.0 is able to resist any chemical aggression of acid substances. The components of the formulation
do not react to contact, not undergoing any disintegration and / or deformation.
d.8) -Resistance to abrasion
The surface hardness and the content in the formulation of aggregates of a mineral nature such as silica,
guarantees our SPC - s. 4.0 good conservation of surfaces subjected to abrasion due to strong winds from the
shock wave of a nuclear explosion.
d.9) - Resistance to flame
The most common phenomenon linked to reinforced concrete structures, such as bunkers, the subject of this
report, if subjected to high temperatures, the spalling mechanism is triggered, i.e. the sudden and often
explosive detachment of concrete cover splinters, with the consequent exposure armor to the direct action of
fire and a higher temperature, in addition to the uncontrollability of the concrete portions, which are fired as
projectiles and which can cause damage to people and things.
While, the advantages offered by our SPC - s. 4.0, made with resinous polymers, "thermosetting" are those of
not having the loss of mechanical performance, even at high temperatures, during its half-life, since they do
not have a porosity and therefore have practically no permeability and therefore does not degrade over time.
e) - Comparison of "Structural Polymer Concrete - SPC - s.4.0" compared to other concretes on the
international market
Also on this memory, to better understand what we are talking about, I find it necessary to make a comparison
with the technology of traditional concrete, where, in the last 40 years, in the world scenario it has made
enormous progress. This is due to the increased knowledge that concrete technology has allowed to develop.
Therefore, I want to draw your attention to some types of concrete that we all know today.
e.1) -Special concrete
To better understand what "Structural Polymer Concrete - SPC - s.4.0" is, below I want to briefly illustrate some
concretes, called special, with their particular characteristics:

7. e.1.1) - concretes with fly ash, those concretes are indicated where a part of the cement binder is replaced with
fly ash (50 kg / m3), residue from the combustion of coal in thermoelectric power plants. They have good
pozzolanic characteristics as they are capable of combining with the calcium hydroxide produced by the
hydration of the cement. This replacement allows to obtain high mechanical resistance, especially to long
curing, also allowing to obtain concrete with greater cohesion even if very fluid.
It is widely used in underwater castings where the contact between water and fresh concrete could cause the
washout of the cement mixture.
The influence of fly ash makes it possible to achieve a mechanical compressive strength after 28 days with
values ranging from 50 up to 80 Mpa;
e.1.2) - concrete with silica fume (silica fume), is a by-product of silicon processing, similar, in some respects,
to fly ash. Compared to fly ash, it is much richer in silica - SiO2 = 90/96% - with a higher specific surface area
from 18,000 to 22,000 m2 / kg - and considerably finer - particle sizes from 0.01 to 1 m.
With the addition of silica fume, a thixotropic concrete is created. Furthermore, the addition of silica fume
(15% of the cement) decreases the mechanical strength due to the higher water / cement ratio.
The presence of silica fume greatly influences the mechanical resistance to compression of concrete prepared
with Portland cement 52.5 whose value after 28 days varies from 50 to 130 MPa with a water / cement + silica
fume ratio from 0.50 to 0, 20.
e.1.3) - shrinkage compensated concrete, is defined as concrete prepared with an expansive agent added to a
Portland cement in order to compensate for the tensile stresses induced in the concrete by the subsequent
phenomenon of hygrometric shrinkage. In both cases, the expansion of the concrete, contrasted by the
reinforcing rods, results in a compressive stress in the concrete and traction in the rods.
The compressive stress in concrete after 28 days varies from 0.6 to 1.2 MPa. However, the performance could
improve by using a cement with higher initial mechanical strength.
e.1.4) - heavy concretes, those of over 3,000 kg / m3 obtained using heavy aggregates such as barite, limonite,
hematite, magnetite, etc. are considered. These concretes are mostly intended for structures that must protect
from radiation in hospital environments. Furthermore, the reduction of the water / cement ratio causes greater
opacity to radiation. These concretes have a very high specific weight and can vary from 3,700 up to 4,500 kg
/ m3.
e.1.5) - polymer-impregnated concretes (PIC), these consist of ordinary concretes which after hardening are
dried and filled with liquid monomers based on methyl-methacrylate or styrene with the ability to polymerize
inside the capillary pores of the ordinary concrete.
The mechanical characteristics of a concrete with a dosage of Portland 52.5 cement subjected to impregnation
of styrene and subsequently polymerized are the following:
- mechanical compressive strength after 28 days from 84 to 125 MPa;
- mechanical flexural strength after 28 days from 8.5 to 12 MPa.
f) - Considerations
I remember, as initially described above, that the main performance characteristic of the “Structural Polymer
Concrete - SPC - s. 4.0 ”is the one that does not contain a cementitious binder but a binder of the polymeric
resinous type of organic nature, with a low molecular weight and is presented as a more or less viscous liquid.
It also has a high mechanical compressive strength ranging from 100 MPa, if the concrete is mixed with
traditional quartz-based aggregates, up to about 300 MPa, with concretes containing particular additives,
special components and non-mineral aggregates.
Furthermore, the “Structural Polymer Concrete - SPC - s. 4.0 ”has a mechanical tensile strength ranging from
200 to 300 MPa and a mechanical resistance to bending ranging from 35 to 50 MPa.

8. Furthermore, even with this formulation, we were able to obtain, with samples containing different variations
of both mineral and organic inert materials, a variable compression modulus from 7,000 up to 25,000 MPa.
Finally, we carried out tests to evaluate the degree of resistance to attack by very aggressive agents such as
acidic water with a pH of 4, in the presence of CO2, with the presence of ammonium ions, magnesium ions and
sulphate ions in the water, the result of which is always been, for each of these tests, equal to zero.
g) - Conclusion
The current technological and methodological orientation that the undersigned has developed, through a
program of studies, using a product material called SPC-series 4.0, without radically changing the design
concept but, what we can achieve today, is a bunker capable of to absorb and dissipate the actions imprinted
by contamination from chemical weapons and / or biological weapons and thus avoid contact with any source
of pollution and ensure the occupants' survival for a very variable period of time.
This result occurs due to the particularity of the product, relative to its plasticity and its ability to absorb
stresses [brittleness, creep, ect.]; in addition to the conservation over time [even more than 500 years, data
obtained in the laboratory, because it does not require any maintenance] of the initial resistance
characteristics; to the behavior in a dynamic vibration regime; to its particular workability in special
shipbuilding.
I would like to point out that, today we have to run and always look far ahead and, in our immediate future,
even with this 4.0 series product, we are able, not only to protect ourselves from possible nuclear explosions,
but also to go and build one day on the Moon. , as I have been repeating for some years now, in a dry and dry
environment, where it is necessary to use a mixture [formulated] that does not contain water.
Fig. 06 – Meteor shower on the lunar surface
The spatial bases that can be created with our SPC-s product. 4.0, will be able to withstand the
sudden changes in temperature that, on the Moon, exceed 100 degrees and also withstand a
continuous bombardment of meteorites.
In any case, I propose to the various industrial entrepreneurs that the time has come to think
about investing in this research and, it would also be interesting to do some tests to use, in place
of those proposed by me in the mixture of the s. 4.0 [just to reduce the transport of some
materials to the moon], the aggregates with the ilmenite material, a black and shiny mineral that
is found in abundance on the surface of the lunar satellite.
[*] Luigi Franco, LAMANNA
Independent Technical Consultant in the sector of Tunnelling, Mining and Underground Technology
President of the Fondazione Internazionale di Centro Studi e Ricerche, ONG
132, via dei Serpenti, 00184 ROMA, Italy, U.E.
Email: lamannaluigifranco1@gmail.com