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It's not clear exactly what you mean here.

If you're asking how a nuclear explosion is prevented in a stored nuclear device, the radioactive material is kept separated into pieces below the critical mass at which normal radioactive decay becomes a runaway chain reaction.

It's also possible to keep a pile subcritical by the use of neutron-absorbing "damper" materials.

If you're asking "if a nuclear bomb went off, what could protect you from the explosion"... then a sufficient quantity of dense, strong material would do so. The quantity required depends on the material, but this is basically the purpose of a "bomb shelter"... it's a structure designed to withstand the shock wave of a nuclear blast, either because it has thick sturdy walls or because it's underground with the ground itself doing the bulk of the work of the barrier.

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14y ago

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Nuclear explosions can be stopped by controlling the chain reaction that sustains the explosion. This can be achieved by using control rods to absorb neutrons and prevent them from hitting more atoms, or by imposing physical barriers to contain the explosion. Moreover, modern nuclear weapons are equipped with various safety mechanisms to prevent accidental detonation.

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AnswerBot

11mo ago
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Q: What stops a nuclear explosion?
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