Conspiracy theory

[AJI]

Its an alternative theory suggesting that molten aluminium from the aeroplanes seeped into the water tanks for the sprinkler system and caused the explosion noises that were heard just before the towers started to collapse.

I know very little about sprinkler systems so cannot comment. I don't know if there are small tanks on every floor, a pressuried mains system or larger tanks every 10 floors, for example.

 

Ah I see.

Well Aluminium in dust and small fragments can be quite reactive with certain other materials when heat is involved. But I'm not strong enough in my chemistry knowledge to have any idea whether this could cause the perceved explosion noises that were heard on the day or whether the explosions were the cause of the structural failure of the building.

 

If there were pressure tanks of sorts every n'th floor then this would have made a noise as they were compressed and crushed, but would they have made such an explosive noise to be heard over the rest of the noise of the building falling? Again, not sure.

Very dependant on what sort of prssures the tanks were holding and how much volume within etc. etc.

 

There are a lot of unknowns, thats for sure.

[Rob]

All I know is that the sprinkler system was retro-fitted in the 90's after a small fire broke out. Sprinklers in offices are bad news, imo, as a small incident can lead to a huge amount of unnecessary water damage, and a big incident, like a bomb or a plane coming in at 500mph tends to disable the system anyway.

 

Re explosion, I do recall cycling through the Isle of Grain oil refinary once, with some mates, and one of the large, steel framed buildings was being demolished. I could see cutting sparks high up, then was shocked to hear a big explosion. (We used to go on holiday there, woo-hoo, when I was a child and my dad always used to go on about how the whole place could explode). I looked back to see a dust cloud and one of the lads I was riding with said he saw a huge steel beam fall down to the floor.

 

So there's an example of a falling steel sounding like an explosion in a situation where someone had explosions set up in their memory.

[tbourner]

Ah I see.

Well Aluminium in dust and small fragments can be quite reactive with certain other materials when heat is involved.

 

I didn't realise until last night that solid rocket boosters are made of aluminium powder! Aluminium and enough air to burn it can melt steel easily.

[scotty71]

haha m_life

 

There is alot more where they came from