Thread: 4.12.2 de-bugging
View Single Post
  #672  
Old 09-19-2014, 06:01 PM
Pursuivant Pursuivant is offline
Approved Member
  
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,439
Default
Further information about fuel tank fires.

Ball bullets not causing fires in fuel tanks isn't just my opinion:

Small caliber bullets vs. gas tank:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/my...g-gas-tank.htm

0.50 caliber sniper rifle at 20 yards vs. unarmored car fuel tank:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/ot...w-up-a-car.htm

The latter clip pretty much proves my point about how hard it really is to start a fuel tank fire using just ball bullets. Massive bullet at close range against a small unsealed fuel tank, which splashes lots of fuel around and pretty well makes the fuel tank useless. Even so, the shooter has to wait 10 minutes for the gas to properly volatilize to ignition point and then his second shot with a ball round fails to ignite the fuel!

If you look at the video, the firemen give a very good explanation as to why bullets aren't likely to start gasoline fires.


To take things to further extremes, this video shows a 0.50 BMG sniper rifle at perhaps 50 yards firing a Raufoss (NATO general purpose Incendiary explosive round) against a PROPANE TANK with no result other than puncturing the tank.


Here's a video of API 7.62mm vs. a pressurized can of engine cleaner fluid (highly flammable):



The API round causes a brief fireball, but due to lack of oxygen and fuel mixing, the fire isn't sustained.

Summary: Even a large-caliber incendiary bullet going through an unarmored fuel tank filled with highly volatile gas or vapor isn't going to start a fire if there's no air present to allow combustion to occur.

This means that the first bullet hit will NEVER start a fire unless the tank already has a leak in it and there has been enough time for oxygen and fuel to mix.

Multiple ball bullets are also unlikely to start fires. Multiple bullets incendiary or explosive bullets are required, preferably with some sort of interval to allow the gasoline vapor to volatilize. That's why gun camera footage shows even notably flammable planes like the A6M2 or D3A only bursting into flames after they take multiple bullets to their fuel tanks.

While I hate to say it, currently the ease at which all planes in the game burst into flames following a fuel tank hit is pure Hollywood.

Likewise, unless you get something like a fuel line rupture, which allows pressurized fuel to spray over a hot engine block and subsequently ignite due to a spark, it's also extremely unlikely that you'll get engine fires. My guess is that big clouds of smoke from damaged engines more likely represents burning oil or clouds of steam from damaged coolant systems.
Reply With Quote