Gasoline burns at a very low temperature compared to magnesium.
Material Ignition Temp Flame Temp
Gas 4950 F ~22000 F
Magnesium 8500 F ~50000 F
Interesting information on fuels:
http://afdc.nrel.gov/pdfs/fueltable.pdf
Information on magnesium:
http://www.immnet.com/articles?article=1418
Not every VW will burn to the ground (see the article above on why) but
if you do get a VW trans/engine case to catch on fire, it is quite
spectacular. I watched one burn a hole in a concrete road. Stand well
back and wear appropriate protective gear when fighting such a class D
fire as the concrete spalls, or blows apart in sharp flakes as the air &
water trapped in the concrete expands and fractures the concrete.
Bob
Firefighter, EMT, Chief Formula Vee wrench
OB Triumph content:
TR6 is still in the garage, have decided to pull the engine this winter
and replace it with the spare.
George Richardson wrote:
> How do you know it was the engine block that was burning so hot? It's a
> gasoline fire, after all.
>
> Scott A. Roberts wrote:
>
>> Ever seen a Volkswagen magnesium engine block burning? Real neat, Real
>> hot.
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