Partitions made of materials that absorb shrapnel would be strategically placed to limit the carnage should a suicide bomber, realizing that he had been spotted, decided to detonate himself.
Building materials ricocheted like shrapnel.
Like firearms, cannon are a descendant of the fire-lance, a gunpowder-filled tube used as a flamethrower; shrapnel-like material was sometimes placed in the barrel so that it would fly out together with the flames.
Terrorists favor the ordinary kitchen device because they are so ubiquitous, and because they have a tight-fitting lid, which allows bomb-makers to pack shrapnel and explosive material closely, maximizing its acceleration after an explosion, and therefore injuries, defense experts in India said.
The authorities who searched Mr. Stone's ramshackle trailer, which his lawyer estimated was worth $500 ,seized 300 pieces of evidence, including explosive materials, bomb-making components and shrapnel, Mr. Waterstreet said.
Two explosive devices were discovered, which authorities said contained shrapnel and other materials and were set to go off remotely using a cellphone.
On Monday, the UK's Channel 4 News uncovered that the Amazon feature was inadvertently guiding shoppers to combinations of chemicals, detonators, makeshift shrapnel, and other materials that can be combined to create a homemade bomb.
Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press the suspect used matches, a lightbulb and a nine-volt battery to ignite a pipe stuffed with explosive material, but the blast wasn't powerful enough to create harmful shrapnel.
Advances in lightweight, nanoscale-engineered materials will protect soldiers on the battlefield from bullets and shrapnel while giving them extreme mobility.
On the other hand, thicker, heavier materials like sandbags, cinder blocks, stone, and thick metal can usually block shrapnel — the thicker, the better.
