As we approach 9/11 day, with all the associated “jet fuel can’t melt steel girders” comments, along with “an inside job” “and “controlled demolition”, now seems a good time to brush-up some basic, sc... View MoreAs we approach 9/11 day, with all the associated “jet fuel can’t melt steel girders” comments, along with “an inside job” “and “controlled demolition”, now seems a good time to brush-up some basic, school-level science:
In open air, aviation fuel burns at temperatures up to 815°C. This can be considerably higher in a confined space and/or in conjunction with other combustible materials.
Steel loses half its structural strength at around 590°C. As the temperature increases, it becomes soft, malleable, bends, sags and warps This results in the steel girders losing their load-bearing capacity and being unable to support the weight of the building, ending with buckling and progressive structural failure long before any melting point is reached This is why the structural steel failed without melting and this is why structural steel was found in the wreckage. Nothing at all to do with the melting point of steel.
