The vaporific effect is a

flash fire A flash fire is a sudden, intense fire caused by ignition of a mixture of air and a dispersed flammable substance such as a solid (including dust), flammable or combustible liquid (such as an aerosol or fine mist), or a flammable gas. It is charact ...

resulting from the impact of high-velocity

projectile A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found in ...

s with metallic objects.Vaporific Effects in Aircraft Vulnerability and Survivability
Blaze Tech website Impacts produce particulate matter originating from either the projectile, the target, or both. Particles heated from the force of impact can burn in the presence of air (

oxidizer An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ). In other words, an oxid ...

) or water vapor. An explosion can result from the mixture of metal-dust and air, the resulting

dust explosion A dust explosion is the rapid combustion of fine particles suspended in the air within an enclosed location. Dust explosions can occur where any dispersed powdered combustible material is present in high-enough concentrations in the atmosphere or ...

causing significant overpressure within metallic enclosures (aircraft, vehicles, metallic enclosures, etc.). The vaporific effect is particularly pronounced when these enclosures are constructed of

pyrophoric A substance is pyrophoric (from grc-gre, πυροφόρος, , 'fire-bearing') if it ignites spontaneously in air at or below (for gases) or within 5 minutes after coming into contact with air (for liquids and solids). Examples are organolith ...

metals (metals that react upon contact with air, such as

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

, or their alloys). This effect is often referenced in movies, such as when a single bullet makes a helicopter explode.>

1964 study

A November 1964 study by the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

aimed at studying this phenomenon and what causes it. The "Warhead Mechanisms Study" found that dense, white smoke as well as aluminum oxide and

iron oxide Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. All are black magnetic solids. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of whic ...

were present with each vaporific effect. This was greatly diminished in a

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

atmosphere (compared to air), thus it was found that the "oxidation of metal fragments is a major factor."

References

Types of fire Ballistics {{firearms-stub

1964 study

See also

References