[VanBCguy]

I read the thread "Be careful with brake cleaner" last night and the chemical agent that can cause death. That scared the **** out of me! But today, as I'm browsing another forum, I found a thread created by a friend of mine that has a youtube video from Bridgestone tires.

This is a MUST SEE and is somewhat related to the brake cleaner hazards.

The video is a bit long, but truly, you only have to watch maybe the 1st half (until they replay it and show how there's no outward signs of what's to come) to get the point. But along the same thinking as with the brake cleaner thread, this is a chemical reaction that you just don't think can happen and therefore don't take precautions against.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBUVzgCHHuA

 

[frank]

http://bb.bc4x4.com/showthread.php?153207-Exploding-tires....-Who-Knew

 

[VanBCguy]

http://bb.bc4x4.com/showthread.php?153207-Exploding-tires....-Who-Knew

Post #10 by Steve604 in the thread you posted seems to be the only post that is getting the fact that this explosion is NOT caused by heat and expansion causing the tire to explode (but that can happen, of course). It's a chemical reaction IN the actual tire. Look at the temp. gauge in comparison to the Psi gauge. The Bridgestone guy in the clip even says as much. It's a chemical reaction. A very strange one, yes. But a danger nonetheless.

 

[frank]

Having grown up around wood burning stoves I don't find it that strange. If you heat a combustible material (wood, rubber) it begins to break down into combustible gases. (This is kind of a low temperature self sustaining flameless fire, called pyrolysis.)
These combustible gases by themselves will probably eventually rupture the tire, (truck tire in the video) but even worse, at the right temperature and proportion with air they burst into flame. The temperature and proportion of air vary based on pressure so inflating a pyrolysing tire may ignite it. The rate of flame spread is high (low order explosive) and the pressure increase is enough to rupture the tire carcass instantly. (stacker tire in the video)
I'm sure that almost everyone who has dealt with airtight wood stoves has had the experience of the stove flashing in their face when opening it after being damped down. It's a learning experience. With a tire, not so much.

Just for the record, I never have (even in my youngest stupidest days) welded on a rim with a mounted tire. I have, and will probably do it again, heated lug nuts with a torch. When I do that I monitor very closely how warm the rim is getting. If you use an oxy-acetylene torch properly there is little heat transfer.