Thread: What temp does aluminium melt ?

Whyalla 47.8c and 2% humidity (damn dry) just after I woke up (1.30pm)

House hasnt had a working air conditioner for over a week... Checked temperature in our extremely well insulated sandstone house and its 38c INSIDE

You would think I'd be skinnier than I am in those pics in the other thread!!!

Respite has come though, the wind gusts turned to come up the gulf, were dropping temp really fast.. But humidity is up.... 48% now...

Down to 34 here now. Just the very slightest stir of wind. I have opened the house up as the temperature outside is dropping below that inside. Going to be driven to bed shortly by the insects crawling through the gauze, will have to put all the lights out.

John

660degc. Very impressive to watch alloy heads and other components made from aluminium or alloys melt and run down the road on burning cars.
Something to be aware of if attending a car fire as if it is liquid it wil melt straight through boots.

Originally Posted by CraigE

660degc. Very impressive to watch alloy heads and other components made from aluminium or alloys melt and run down the road on burning cars.
Something to be aware of if attending a car fire as if it is liquid it wil melt straight through boots.

I attended to a head on of a Land Cruiser towing a caravan Vs road train once. The caravan was just a pool of melted aluminium on the road. I'm guessing the cooking gas contributed to that.

Originally Posted by Michael2

I attended to a head on of a Land Cruiser towing a caravan Vs road train once. The caravan was just a pool of melted aluminium on the road. I'm guessing the cooking gas contributed to that.

Does not take anywhere near the heat to melt a caravan as it does a car as it is ultra thin aluminium (still would have to be near the melting point), but does not have to sustain the heat for long.
I have a large piece of melted and cooled aluminium on my desk at work from a car fire a few weeks ago. This piece appears to be from brake calipers ? as there was one near each wheel and a big blob under the motor.

I'm not sure what sort of alloy is used in mag wheels, but in the Canberra fires a few years ago, the house behind my brother's place burnt and tried to take his place with it.

The car in the garage next door burnt and reduced the mag wheels to a very artistic blob of metal. In fact I think my brother has it hanging on his wall because it looks so interesting.

That was a very hot fire though.

Originally Posted by Numpty's Missus

So what about metal, as most other cars are made from
Important point ATM I think to know if it is going to be safer NOT in a Land Rover in a bushfire

Interesting historical point...in the 1666 Great Fire of London

No-one was reported injured in a Land Rover

Originally Posted by CraigE

Does not take anywhere near the heat to melt a caravan as it does a car as it is ultra thin aluminium (still would have to be near the melting point), but does not have to sustain the heat for long.
I have a large piece of melted and cooled aluminium on my desk at work from a car fire a few weeks ago. This piece appears to be from brake calipers ? as there was one near each wheel and a big blob under the motor.

Caravans are brittle. I have seen two that engaged in body contact sport with line-haul semi trailers. They just disintegrate into a cloud of plastic, chipboard, corn flakes, clothing, tinned food, nappies, etc. Another one had the right hand side pulled out in one piece when a flapping caravan window snagged in the gates of an overtaking semi-trailer between Cobar and Wilcannia. This goose was doing the usual caravan terrorist trick of not keeping to the left, driving at 80 k's on the narrow bitumen with his right hand side over the centre line. The following truck waited somewhat impatiently judging by the remembered dialogue over the CB. Along the lines of " As soon as this ***** uncovers the white line I'm going and he will just bloody well have to stay over where he should be until I get past." Followed by " Jesus bloody Christ" You've got him. ****, you wont believe this." from a following truck.