Would a shipping container a good Faraday cage ?

[GeorgiaHunter]

An EMP, which is what is a Faraday cage protects against, will induce so much electro magnetic current into the air and ground in a very short time (milliseconds) .
The only way to ensure an EMP will not penetrate the area to be protected, is to cover the area with a copper mesh. Like a chain link fence of copper or something similar.
This open linked design redirects the energy and slows it down.

If we get hit by an EMP, keeping you cell phone working is not going to be a priority.

I agree. The EMP will surely mess up the electronics in the tower. The cell phone test I referred to is only to determine of a Faraday cage works.

 

[JamesG]

Maybe he want to preserve his digital porn collection and a computer to browse it with?

IMaDad posted a bunch of links to docs related to electronics shielding. Search for 'em, they should still be here.

 

[RexProcer]

At best it would make a very poor one. You would need to spend a good amount of time bonding all of the pieces together electrically and even then it would be marginal. You could build a conductive mesh cage inside of it and bond that all together.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

So it only needs to be a mesh, not 100% coverage on whatever you're covering?

 

[Survivor Johnny]

I said yes but you would need to make some improvements. Line the inside with a rubberized paint like a thick elastomeric then add hardware cloth as if you were prepping it to run stucko. Then run a thick ground wire from your inner cage to a large grounding rod and make sure all sides and doors are attached to each other. It might be easier to start with a wood frame structure. Wait, can I change my vote?

A good small scale faraday cage shouldn't stop a cell signal. A grounded metal trash can with a cardboard liner on all sides and top and bottom is a comon way to go but think a phone would still ring inside of it

Here is a descent article

http://www.faraday-cage.com/faraday-cage/

 

[IMaDad]

its more complicated than just that. Check out the MIL-STD handbook for procedures and standards for protecting buildings from EMP.

also note this quote from the guy who wrote the Army handbook on shelters:

MYTH NO 1
“An underground steel shelter provides EMP shielding.” False. In order for the steel shelter hull to provide EMP shielding, all the POE’s or “points of entry” must have a copper or nickel shielded gasket specifically designed for EMP with a dB rated gasket for the H-Field, E-Field, and Plane Wave. This means that EMP shielded gaskets are needed on hatches at ground level, emergency escapes entranceways connecting to the hull, air inlet ducts, air outlet ducts, electrical lines penetrating the hull, water lines penetrating the hull, antenna wires penetrating the hull, video cables penetrating the hull etc. In a steel hull, whether made of galvanized culvert or straight wall steel tank, all of the POE’s require monthly testing because the hull is constantly corroding. Testing requires very special equipment and personnel. The golden rule for EMP shielding, that the military has followed for many years, is “DO NOT USE THE SHELTER HULL AS AN EMP SHIELD AND DO NOT USE THE EMP SHIELD AS A SHELTER. The best approach for EMP protection is to shield each EMP vulnerable item individually inside the shelter because EMP shielded enclosures can be tested and are made of non-corrosive material. Proper EMP shielded enclosures are not made of steel because it is not conductive enough. A proper EMP shielded enclosure is made of aluminum which is 5 times more conductive than steel or copper which is 8.5 times more conductive than steel. Aluminum foil does not shield EMP frequencies. Radios can be disconnected prior to a disaster event but all inverters and chargers, solar charge controllers, solar panels, and most generators need EMP shielded enclosures.

 

[IMaDad]

and the mil-std you're looking for is:
MIL-STD-188-125-1:” High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) Protection for Ground-Based C4I Facilities Performing Critical, Time-Urgent Missions Part 1: Fixed Facilities” 17 July 1998
https://www.wbdg.org/ccb/FEDMIL/std188_125_1.pdf

cheers for some light reading.

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

put stuff in an old microwave

Damn, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[trw2094]

any EMP large enough to cause damage will destroy all electronics no matter what they are encased in .
if they are connected and in use they are more than likely fried.

 

[IMaDad]

any EMP large enough to cause damage will destroy all electronics no matter what they are encased in .
if they are connected and in use they are more than likely fried.

What the?
You know this is like science, right?
Do you have any of that science stuff? It appears not.

 

[Sowega86]

Was wondering if a shipping container (18 wheeler style minus the trailer frame) make a good Faraday cage ?

I believe it would provided you used aluminum or other metal tape (not gray plastic duct tape) to cover all gaps in the doorways, vents, seams, etc. that would make the container "water-tight" from the electromagnetic waves. But that alone may not be sufficient in that electronics may still need to be stored in ANSI/ESD, EIA, or MIL electrostatic bags having high EMP shielding capabilities. I'm referencing Dr. Arthur T. Bradley's book, "EMP Attacks and Solar Storms". Dr. Bradley has test results of various structures to protect electronics from both man made and solar EMP events. Unfortunately, he has not tested a shipping container but the basic principles should apply. BTW, Dr. Bradley is not a computer geek but is a former Army Ranger, weapons expert, martial arts expert, and is currently a P.E. (licensed professional engineer) for NASA.

A review of his book is here:

and here: http://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Prep...Preparedness+for+EMP+attacks+and+solar+storms