How hot was it?

Went to the fair today, locked my bike to the fence, walked in
carrying a half-liter bottle of water. It was almost gone before I'd
walked past the antiques into the fair proper, re-filled on at least
three occasions in the two hours I was there -- though on the last
occasion I dumped a nearly-full bottle on a thirsty-looking patch of
grass because I'd spotted a water cooler. (I tasted the water from
the fountain before dumping the bottle.)

Stopped at the Discount Grocery Store on the way home and found five
cans of plain seltzer in the twelve-for-a-dollar bin.

Heard a loud noise a block or two from home, stopped, looked back,
didn't see anything that might have fallen, nothing that might have
rattled when I ran over it.

When I unloaded the panniers, I discovered that one of the cans of
soda had exploded.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:29:24 -0400, Joy Beeson
wrote:



Went to the fair today, locked my bike to the fence, walked in
carrying a half-liter bottle of water. It was almost gone before I'd
walked past the antiques into the fair proper, re-filled on at least
three occasions in the two hours I was there -- though on the last
occasion I dumped a nearly-full bottle on a thirsty-looking patch of
grass because I'd spotted a water cooler. (I tasted the water from
the fountain before dumping the bottle.)

Stopped at the Discount Grocery Store on the way home and found five
cans of plain seltzer in the twelve-for-a-dollar bin.

Heard a loud noise a block or two from home, stopped, looked back,
didn't see anything that might have fallen, nothing that might have
rattled when I ran over it.

When I unloaded the panniers, I discovered that one of the cans of
soda had exploded.


Glad it was seltzer. Soda gets all sticky, yick I hate that.

Maybe one of the more physics-type folks will let us know how hot it
needs to get for a carbonated can to explode. Did the tab pop or a
seam? I can't believe that it would just bust a hole in the can.

I'm glad it wasn't a platic bottle. I have one of those powering my
airhorn:
http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Airzound.../dp/B000ACAMJC

Being a boy, I'm always just a tad nervous with that bottle mounted
under the bar. But it does make itself heard through joggers'
headphones.

On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:59:22 -0400, dgk wrote:

Did the tab pop or a
seam?

The tab. The can has no seam.

On inspection, I found a small dent, so the can may have been
pre-weakened -- the other four didn't explode.

On the other hand, I was almost home, and I got out of the sun
immediately. It's cooler today -- current temperature is 83, high
was 88. I was, of course, indoors at the keyboard all day, except for
taking the cat to the vet and the after-supper .7 mile waddle.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

On Jul 16, 7:54*pm, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:59:22 -0400, dgk wrote:
Did the tab pop or a
seam?

The tab. *The can has no seam. *

On inspection, I found a small dent, so the can may have been
pre-weakened -- the other four didn't explode. *

On the other hand, I was almost home, and I got out of the sun
immediately. * It's cooler today -- current temperature is 83, high
was 88. *I was, of course, indoors at the keyboard all day, except for
taking the cat to the vet and the after-supper .7 mile waddle. *

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot nethttp://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

I suspect it was the shaking rather than the heat that precipitated
the failure.
In order to get this same action out of heating up a soda can you
really only have to go to around 212F, any cooking fire will do it.
But it isn't that spectacular of an explosion. Freezing a soda will
bust out the can bigger than boiling will, but it is even less
spectacular to watch.