Burns can occur at temperatures as low as 120 degrees F. Typical wood fires burn around 300-400 degrees F. The biggest problem with small burns is not the damage but the pain. Second degree burns occur after 3 seconds at 140 degrees F. Third degree burns occur after 5 seconds at this temperature. A good rule of thumb is each 50 degree C causes 1 HP of damage per minute divided by the percent of the body covered (You won’t die by emmersing your hand in boiling water …). Each 100 Degrees Celcius over 50 Degrees causes 1 point of pain. For each missed success the character adds one penalty die to all rolls. Some sample temperatures are listed below:
Celcius | Fahrenheit | Description |
---|---|---|
50 | 122 | Low heat for cooking |
100 | 212 | Water boils |
150 | 302 | Wood burns; Maximum survivable breathing air temp for short period without the presence of moisture. |
250 | 482 | Kerosene Ignites |
300 | 572 | Oil Ignites |
500 | 932 | Bronze Melts |
950 | 1742 | Silver melts |
1000 | 1832 | Copper, Glass, and Gold Melt |
1300 | 2372 | Steel |
1550 | 2822 | Iron Melts |
1750 | 3182 | Platinum Melts |
1.1 SOURCES OF IGNITION – GENERAL TEMPERATURES
Source | Temperature (Celsius) |
Cigarettes – ventilated | 400°-780° |
Cigarettes – unventilated conditions | 288° |
Cigarettes – insulated and smoldering |
510°-621° |
Match | 600°-800° |
Candle flame | 600°-1400° |
Stove element | >550° |
Fluorescent light | 60°-80° |
Incandescent light | 100°-300° |
Tungsten halogen light | 600°-900° |
Electrical arcing | to 3750° |
Electrical spark | 1316° |
Lightning | 30000° |
Oxyacetylene | 3300° |
Industrial furnaces | 1700° |
Bunsen burner | 1570° |
1.2 COLOR
TEMPERATURES OF HEAT
Dull red | 500°-600° |
Dark red | 600°-800° |
Bright red | 800°-1000° |
Yellow red | 1000°-1200° |
Bright yellow | 1200°-1400° |
White | 1400°-1600° |
1.3 TEMPERATURES
DURING BUILDING FIRES
Hot gas layer | 600°-1000° |
Floor temperature | >180° |
Glowing smoldering combustion |
to 600° |
Flashover | >600° |
Glowing coals | to 1300° |
Reactions to temperature exposure |
|
Reaction | Temperature (Celsius) |
Wood slowly chars* | 120°-150° |
Decayed wood ignites | 150° |
Ignition temp of various woods |
190°-260° |
Paper yellows | 150° |
Paper ignites | 218°-246° |
Oil soaked lagging ignites |
190°-220° |
Leather ignites | 212° |
Hay ignites | 172° |
Coal ignites | 400°-500° |
* wood chars at a rate of approximately 30-50 mm/hour |
Melting points and ignition temperatures |
||
Plastic | Melting Point Range |
Ignition Temperature |
ABS | 88°-125° | 416° |
Acrylics | 91°-125° | 560° |
Cellulosics | 49°-121° | 475°-540° |
Nylons | 160°-275° | 424°-532° |
Polycarbonate | 140°-150° | 580° |
Polyesters | 220°-268° | 432°-488° |
Polyethylene ld | 107°-124° | 349° |
Polyethylene hd | 122°-137° | 349° |
Polypropylene | 158°-168° | 570° |
Polystyrene | 100°-120° | 488°-496° |
Polyurethanes | 85°-121° | 416° |
PTFE | 327° | 530° |
P.vinylideneclor | 212° | 454° |
PVC | 75°-110° | 435°-557° |
Wool | 228°-230° | |
Cotton | 250° | |
Rubber | 260°-316° |
Melting points and flame colours |
||
(o) & (r) denote oxidizing and reducing conditions respectively | ||
Metal | Melting Point |
Flame Colour |
Aluminium | 660° | Colorless |
Copper | 1080° | Green (o) Red (r) |
Lead | 327° | Colorless |
Tin | 232° | Colorless |
Bismuth | 271° | Colorless |
Zinc | 419° | Colorless |
Aluminium alloy | 600° | Colorless |
Antimony | 630° | Colorless |
Magnesium | 651° | Colorless |
Brass | 900°-1000° | Green (o) Red (r) |
Silver | 961° | Colorless |
Bronze | 1000° | Green (o) Red (r) |
Gold | 1063° | |
Cast iron | 1200°-1350° | Yellow-brown |
Manganese | 1260° | Violet (o) |
Nickel | 1450° | Brown-Red |
Cobalt | 1490° | Blue |
Steel | 1100°-1600° | Brown-Red |
Platinum | 1770° | |
Titanium | 1670° | |
Chromium | 1900° | Green |
Tungsten | 3410° | |
Solder 60/40 | 183° | |
Electric fuses | 371° | |
Carbon | 3730° | |
Pure iron | 1535° |
Boiling points, flash points, ignition temperature and heat of combustion |
||||
Liquid | Boiling Point |
Flash Point |
Ignition Temperature |
Heat of Combustion (kilocalories per gram) |
Kerosene | 175°-260° | 38°-74° | 229° | 11 |
Gasoline | 40°-190° | -43° | 257° | 11.5 |
Stove oil | 190°-290° | |||
Diesel | 190°-340° | 69° | 399° | |
Fuel | 200°-350° | |||
Brake fluid | 190° | |||
Engine oil | 150°-230° | 260°-371° | ||
Acetone | 57° | -20° | 465° | |
Benzene | 80° | -11° | 560° | 10 |
Octane | 126° | 13° | 220° | 11.4 |
Pet ether | -18° | 288° | ||
Gum turpentine | 37° | |||
Spirit turpentine | 135°-175° | 35° | 253° | |
Alcohol | 78° | 13° | 365° | 7.1 |
Ethylene glycol | 111° | 413° | ||
Styrene | 31°-37° | 490° | ||
White spirits | 150°-200° | 35° | 232° | |
Asphalt | 38°-121° | 538° | ||
Paint thinners | 39° | 245° | ||
Paraffin wax | 199° | |||
* fire point is approximately 10°-50° above flash point |
||||
* cooking oil spontaneously combusts at 310°-360° |
||||
* temperature of flame from burning petrol is 471°-560° |
Upper & lower flammable limits & ignition temperature |
|||
Gas | UFL % |
LFL % |
Ignition Temperature |
Propane | 9.6 | 2.15 | 466° |
Butane | 8.5 | 1.9 | 405° |
Natural gas | 15 | 4.7 | 482°-632° |
Hydrogen | 75 | 4 | 400° |
Acetylene | 3 | 65 | 335° |
Appearance | Temperature |
Yellow | 320° |
Brown | 350° |
Purple | 400° |
Blue | 450° |
* steel starts to weaken at 200° |
|
* loses 50% of its structural strength and sags at 550° |
|
* melt point of steel 1100°-1650° |
Appearance | Temperature |
Reddish pink – reddish brown |
300° |
Gray | 300°-1000° |
Buff | >1000° |
Sinters and yellowish | >1200° |
* sand and sandstone becomes friable at 573° |
|
* wall masonry collapses at 760° |
Effect | Soda | Borosilicate |
Very slight distortion | 700° | 750° |
Slight distortion | 750° | 800° |
Considerable distortion | 800° | 850° |
Medium fluid flow | 850° | 900° |
Liquid flow | 900° | 950° |
* glass thermally cracks at 90°-120° |
Effect |
Temperature
|
Resin chars & slowly blackens |
288° |
Resin chars quickly | 400° |
Fibers becomes light gray |
482° |
Fibers fuse | 593° |
Fibers melt | 649° |