Phases of matter
2007-01-26 05:43:29 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
I'm researching 9/11...I'm trying to find out the temperatures that were present after the planes hit the WTC. It's been said that the steel griders melted, and that's why the towers fell.
2007-01-26 05:59:42 · update #1
Very dependent on the individual steel alloy you are asking about. Carbon steel AISA 1020, melts at 1520°C, or 2760°F. According to the Perry's Chemical Engineer's Handbook, most low-alloy AISI steels melt between 2600 - 2760°F (1427 - 1516 °C).
But the steel didn't actually have to liquefy (melt) in order to cause the disaster. All that is required is for the steel to be hot enough to soften and deform -- once the upper stories of the building started moving downward, the momentum of all that mass would continue the process of the collapse. That's why the second tower to be struck collapsed first -- the second plane struck lower floors, so there was much more mass above to deform the softening steel.
2007-01-26 06:39:30 · answer #1 · answered by Dave_Stark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the pressure that you're heating it at and the composition of the steel. At 1 atm, I think the melting point is about 1370 to 1400 Celcius. I have no idea where one could find its boiling point, I just know that it would be extremely high and possibly only calculated theoretically.
2007-01-26 05:52:33 · answer #2 · answered by chiral 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the steel.
Steel is an alloy, a family of alloy's actually, so you need to pick one.
2007-01-26 05:55:41 · answer #3 · answered by Radagast97 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋