CSI & diver in a tree

[wacdiver]

wacdiver,

Well written theory, however, it's flawed. Glass and aluminum or steel do not have the same properties, therefore would react differently when exposed to high heat.

Glass generally would explode as you stated. However, metal will expand to a point where a fissure develops and explode at that particular point. The fissure would develop from the inside on the opposite side of the heat source since that it is the point of greatest gas expansion.

The resulting explosion would not be "all consuming" as you stated. Rather it would be more like a shaped charge the military or demolitionists use. It would blow in one direction.

This is why when on the rare occasion a scuba tank has exploded, it is very easy to determine where the flaw was as there is so much evidence left over.

Please do not confuse this with a bomb. Bombs have an explosive inside them that is designed to blow in all directions at once creating shrapnel which actually does the majority of damage.

Interesting point!! BUT I still wouldn't want that tank on my back when it went POP!
Taking your theory into consideration we all know the burst disk would be the weakest point and most likely the point of failure, but if for some strange reason it didn't rupture there, the failure point would reek havac on any and all soft fleshy tissue it found in its way of escaping.
It may not be an all consuming blast but if the fissure was by the divers back, I still doubt there would be much of his/her torso left to find in a tree. A directional blast would rip right through the person like a hot knife through butter.
Point being there is NO WAY a tank rupturing even at the valve or bottom would have enough pressure to lift 120+lbs (most probably more close to 150-200+lbs or more for most of us divers out there except for some of the tiny lil lady divers ) out of the water or off the ground high enough to have them stuck in a tree. Send you for a ride maybe, lift you off the ground that high, NOT gonna happen!!
Would be fun to try though!! Any volunteers???

 

[crpntr133]

I think the real question is...was he wearing a BP/W or a jacket BC?

 

[Quarrior]

I think the real question is...was he wearing a BP/W or a jacket BC?

I think the more important question would be did he Do It Right when he landed in the tree?

 

[Warren_L]

I can truely not comment on the diver in the tree, but I can say this... CSI tries hard to make the show believable, but there are SOOOO many things they pull off that just can NOT happen in the real world, especially in the time frame they suggest.

I'm NOT a scientist, but if I can point out a few holes in the storyline every week, I'd imagine someone closer to the biz would be laughing too hard to find the breath to point out the errors...

Ron

The thing that really kills me is that every time you see a diver on CSI:Miami the guy is always solo diving. Sure it's possible, but really, not the greatest of examples.

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

, but if for some strange reason it didn't rupture there, the failure point would reek havac on any and all soft fleshy tissue it found in its way of escaping.

I have had the opportunity to witness more than one cylinder failure in a fire. And no, the burst disk doesn't always let go first. That's because the heat often causes the cylinder material to weaken long before the internal pressure is raised above the burst disk pressure.

The first time I saw this phenomenon was a car fire. After extinguishment, I found what I thought to be a fire extinguisher in the trunk. Closer examination revealed it was originally a small propane cylinder -- the type used by home handymen for soldering copper plumbing. It had expanded to more than twice it's size. In the years since, I've seen many a cylinder explode and a few rocket off. Usually the valve threads soften and the valve is launched skyward. As was said, most of the tank is still in one piece -- somewhere.

Also as was stated: if the fire was hot enough to soften a steel or aluminium cylinder, what state do you think the neoprene coated diver would be in at the time of the launch? I doubt any remaining tissue would be either soft or fleshy. The phrase "Crispy Critter" comes to mind...

I did find the Fire Diver's link to be hilarious however. Especially the one about the smoke jumper found in the lake...

 

[Quarrior]

The thing that really kills me is that every time you see a diver on CSI:Miami the guy is always solo diving. Sure it's possible, but really, not the greatest of examples.

That's because most writers for movies and TV suffer from DKS (don't know s@#$).

 

[The Kraken]

I think the real question is...was he wearing a BP/W or a jacket BC?

His SPG was dangling . . . :11:

 

[rab]

The thing that really kills me is that every time you see a diver on CSI:Miami the guy is always solo diving. Sure it's possible, but really, not the greatest of examples.

You're kidding, right? I mean somebody's holding the camera. Duh! (Actually, there was one episode where multiple divers were down looking for a body.)

-Rob

 

[crpntr133]

His SPG was dangling . . . :11:

Kraken, the next thing you are going to tell me is that he was using an Air2!!

 

[Warren_L]

You're kidding, right? I mean somebody's holding the camera. Duh! (Actually, there was one episode where multiple divers were down looking for a body.)

-Rob

No I'm not kidding. Whoever is filming the shot is not part of they story. Most of the time, the diver was portrayed as diving solo, as far as I've seen thus far.