Although it’s open to speculation whether this could translate into a terrorist smuggling an actual weapon through security, a reporter apparently had no trouble carrying an 8-inch-long piece of titanium through the a checkpoint just hours after it was reported that the same detectors twice failed to go off for a woman with a 14-inch hip replacement made of the metal.
That passenger, Berna Keiler of Santa Barbara, Calif., alerted federal authorities to the breach late last year and was reassured by Transportation Security Administration officials that the metal detectors were tested and properly working.
But that was clearly not the case Tuesday when the reporter failed to set off the alarm during two trips through the scanners.
The first time around, the reporter placed the titanium in her right side pocket and sent her purse and bag through the X-ray machine. She walked through the metal detector without setting off any alarm.
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Old news. Titanium and other materials with very weak magnetic field potential cannot be detected by magnetometer-type scanners. It can, however, be detected with x-ray imaging equipment. If you want your titanium to be detected in airport scanners you will need to shape into a coil or loop of appropriate size and shape as to resonate close to the operating frequency of the magnetometer — which is probably what the scanner manufacturers do in their testing.
Same for ceramic weapons – a ceramic knife or firearm would easily make it through security, but the ammo for the firearm wouldn’t.
People need to stop thinking about security as infallibly magic – the terrorists certainly don’t.
Still, a solution is absolutely needed in the near future, given the vast availability of titanium knives on the market, not to mention any other items that can easily be used as weapons.
Undetectable ceramic firearms only exist in movies.
Sorry to disagree with Lorenzo, but ceramic firearms do exist, just not to the public (yet). Ed is correct about the ammo which is currently detectable, but designs are in progress for a non-metallic projectile in the future [to match the ceramic firearm].