User blog:Skaffolding/Warhammer 40,000: Heavy Weaponry

This is a multi-calc blog showing the different abilities of different pieces of heavy weaponry in Warhammer 40k

Plasma Cannon
As described on Lexicanum

"Due to its size and massive power requirements, plasma cannons tend to be found mainly on vehicles, but Space Marines are known to use them in their Devastator Squads. The "heavies" of some hive world gangs often make use of the plasma cannon. The weapon generates plasma which it fires as a glowing super-heated bolt of energy, which on hitting an object, reacts with its matter to produce spheres of boiling nuclear energy like miniature suns. For this reason they have the informal name of "sun gun"."

Based on this I can make a few assumptions:

1. The projectile is a ball with a radius the same as a heavy bolter due to both being large projectile weapons (.998 of an inch)

2. The density is 162 g/cc due to being described as a miniature sun and millions of degrees, meaning this likely refers to the core

3. The specific heat capacity is 14,310 due to being hydrogen.

The Calculation
Diameter of .998 inches gives a radius of 1.26746 centimetres, which means the volume is (r^3 x 4 /3 x pi =) 8.53 cubic centimetres. This means the mass is 1.3817 kilograms. Thermal energy = mass x specific heat capacity x temperature so we multiply 1.3817 by 14,310 and 15,700,000 to get the energy which is 310,417,142,489 joules. That's 74.2 tons of TNT or City Block Level+

Conversion Beamer
According to Lexicanum;

"The conversion beamer fires a high intensity energy beam, which transforms matter into pure energy. A heavily armoured target or dense material will be rent apart as its matter explodes. The more dense the material of the target the more energy that is converted, making conversion beamers particularly good against heavily armoured troops, vehicles and buildings. The intensity of the beam increases as it extends further from the weapon, becoming increasingly dangerous, until it reaches the focal point where the beam is so intense that the energy has to be released in a violent explosion."

Conversion beamers are described as producing a subatomic implosion, so I'll be using that value for the energy. Same volume of 8.53 cc since it's a heavy weapon.

Against Steel: 8.53 x 2.39 x 10^12 = 2.04 x 10^13 joules, that's 4.8726 kilotons or Small Town Level+

Against flesh: 8.53 x 1.5672 x 10^12 = 1.337 x 10^13 joules, that's 3.195 kilotons or Small Town Level

Lascannons
According to Lexicanum;

"The primary difference between a lasgun and a lascannon is the size. While a lasgun is easily handled by a Guardsman, a lascannon is much larger, and therefore heavier, has restricted it to mounted or crew-served positions. Space Marines, with their gene-enhanced strength and power armour, can carry and shoulder-fire a lascannon with ease. A lascannon's removable charge pack is only good for one shot. Lascannons not attached to external power supplies require a crew member to swap charge packs."

Lascannons are used by Spacemarines, however they need to be shoulder-mounted. Because of this I'll be scaling their maximum mass (apparently a fully equipped Astartes can carry 2x their weight, meaning 2,000kg) by dividing it by the lasgun weight of 2.3 kilograms

2,000 / 2.3 = 870

5 kilograms for the low-end of small-building level gives us 870 x 5 = 4,350 kilograms of TNT = 4.35 kilograms of TNT.

Lasguns have 80 shots compared to the 1-shot of a Lascannon, so multiplying that we get 348 tons of TNT, or Multi-City Block Level