Loss Exploding cars can be amusing to watch in action movies. But the cars that turn into balls of fire when they crash or roll down a mountain One of the most common but scientifically absurd movie scenes.
With the release of Fast & Furious 10, The latest in the Fast and Furious franchise On May 19, 2023, It’s time to debunk the exploding car myth.
Cars never explode under these conditions and rarely catch fire., That is, unless you were lucky enough to drive a 1970s Ford Pinto or a Chevrolet Malibu. Both manufacturers took shortcuts in the production process and the result was poorly designed fuel tanks that were vulnerable to catching fire, often trapping the occupants inside.
Even as racing driver Romain Grosjean crashed at over 300 km/h at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, His vehicle caught fire but did not explode.
Gasoline vapor is explosive only in air (which is 20% oxygen) and when under pressure. Liquid gasoline is not explosive but the vapors can catch fire., Vapors may escape from the fuel tank when you open the cap. But tanks have a system in which the pressure is relieved without letting the steam out. A full tank of fuel is safer than you might think, because there’s no air inside and therefore no oxygen.
In fact, it can be difficult to ignite liquid gasoline. Even when exposed to flame.
An explosion is usually caused by a reaction in which one or more solids or liquids react and produce the same amount of gas,
A gas occupies much more space (800 times the volume of the liquid or solid) than an equivalent volume of a solid or liquid. The force generated by the rapidly expanding gas produces the explosion.
Shrapnel is added to explosive weapons of war, propelled by expanding gas.
Gasoline does not explode on its own, but it does explode with oxygen when it is in gaseous form, hot enough (about 257 ℃), and in the presence of a flame or spark.
imagine someone filling water in their car on a hot day, Often you will see a glowing effect near the tank fill. This is gasoline vapor. The “No Smoking” directive on gas station signs and graffiti on oil tankers seeks to eliminate one of three requirements for gasoline to catch fire.
Gasoline is a high energy compound. These compounds release a lot of energy when they react with other substances. When gasoline comes into contact with oxygen and burns, it produces low-energy compounds (water and CO₂). Energy differences between these compounds are seen and heard in the form of sound, heat, light, and expansive forces.
for gasoline to explode (rather than burn), It must be under pressure as a gas, and must have sufficient oxygen and an external energy source, such as a spark or flame, to initiate the reaction.
In a car engine, detonation occurs in the cylinders. The piston compresses the gasoline-air mixture to create the high pressure conditions necessary for detonation., When a gas is compressed it gets hot. That’s why when you inflate the tyre, the tip of the bicycle pump gets hot. As the piston compresses the air-fuel mixture, the pressure and temperature increase.
The spark plug provides the small amount of energy needed for the reaction to occur., This process occurs several thousand times per minute in automobile engines.
Petrol and diesel can explode only under pressure and when mixed with air And, in the case of gasoline, a small amount of energy is added to them in the form of a spark or flame. Engines pressurize the air-fuel mixture in the cylinders, causing short, confined explosions that rotate the crankshaft and turn the wheels.
Diesel is less flammable. Diesel engines use a high boiling point fuel that burns spontaneously under pressure. This is why diesel engines do not require spark plugs. Diesel engines also cycle slower than gasoline engines, so they last longer and provide better fuel economy.
when cars collide, Fuel lines often break and gasoline spills on a hot engine. Liquid gasoline can catch fire in the presence of air. But it cannot explode because it is not under pressure and is in a liquid state rather than a vapor.
in a car accident, Diesel or gasoline can sometimes catch fire, but there is no mechanism to create the high pressure needed for their detonation. So it is not so.
