🚀 go-pugleaf

>It depends on how fast you release the energy. A damaged flywheel will
>release all its energy at once. A tank of gasoline by itself will not
>explode in a collision, despite what you see in the movies.
>
>Why don't you go buy a gallon of gasoline in a metal container, take it
>as high up as you want, and drop it. It will not explode. It might
>splatter, but it will not explode.

OK I agree that cars do not expode like seen on the big screen.  A car
can expolde though.  Take the above example and add a high amperage electrical
system and loads of wires to the top of the gallon of gas.  Now if the
conditions are good the gas will spatter the vapor will come in to contact
with a spark from two shorting wires and you will get a nice explosion.  
Fuel-Air explosions are quite nasty.  Buring gas will not do that much, but
produce heat, whereas buring gas vapor mixed with oxygen in the air will
produce a powerfull explosion...

Try it.  Drip a few drops of gas in a fire pit or some other similiar type of
open ended enclosure ( no more than 5 or 10 drops of gas ).  Wait for it to
vaporize and then throw a match in.  Whooomppp you will feel the shock wave
and it most likely with scare the sh-eck out of you...

>You can also try shooting it with a rifle or whatever. I have.
>It's pretty boring.

This can cause a rather large gas vapor cloud with the first shot assuming it
is a high enough power rifle to rupture the container somewhat.  If the 
container is steel and the bullet is steel a second shot should knock your
socks off...

>>>Unless you wrap the flywheel in a massive enough container that it can absorb
>>>all that energy without vaporizing, you're going to have an explosion.
>>
>>Why bother, we don't wrap our gas tanks in a container that would contain
>>their explosion?
>
>Because gas tanks don't explode. Movies are not reality.

Car crashes violently, gas tank is ruptured and gas is forced out of the 
rupture by the crash.  Gas vapor cloud forms rapidly and comes in contact 
with the shorting positive battery post agains the frame of the car.  That
will cause a rather large explosion and quite a lot of fire.  This would
be a rare case and the individual would most likely not survive the crash
itself...

>-- 
>My opinions are my own.
>

                                                                  - Dan
-- 

             Daniel Joseph Rubin     rubin@cis.ohio-state.edu 
     
                       GO BENGALS!      GO BUCKS!