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PAINFUL DECEPTIONS -- ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY & SCREENCAP GALLERY |
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A small candle has more energy than a grenade, but a grenade is very destructive.
The reason is that the energy in a grenade is released within a fraction of a second rather than several hours thereby causing such phenomenal pressures that the steel housing is shattered and pieces are sent flying.
To summarize two important differences between explosives and fireballs, first, explosives reach temperatures beyond 3,000 degrees fahrenheit. But it's impossible for hydrocarbons burning in the atmosphere to exceed about 1,800 degrees.
Second, and most important, explosives create extreme pressures that cause the gas to expand at a supersonic rate. Nothing can withstand a supersonic blast of 3,000 degree gas at 5 million pounds per square inch. This allows explosives to tear apart steel beams, pulverize concrete, and shatter solid rock. As the blast of gas expands, it rapidly drops in pressure. In order to rip through steel, the explosive must be very close to it. This is why the soldier is laying chunks of C4 directly on the bombs he wants to destroy. Fireballs, on the other hand, have no significant pressure.
Another way to understand the difference between explosives and fireballs, is to consider that if a fireball would remain on the ground rather than rise in the air, you could get your clothes wet, hold your breath, and run into it. As soon as you passed through the boundary of flames, you would find yourself in a chamber of hydrocarbon vapor. |
