Having seen loads of vids, the last one on M180 today,
WHY do trucks catch fire so easily nowadays?
They never used to in “The Old Days”
SWEDISH BLUE:
Having seen loads of vids, the last one on M180 today,
WHY do trucks catch fire so easily nowadays?
They never used to in “The Old Days”
First thing I thought off when I watched it is the ease that it caught fire… don’t the build quality of trucks today just fill you with confidence…
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It’s been mentioned on here that Euro 6 exhaust systems run very hot and might be contributory factor. Don’t know if it’s true.
Cosmic:
It’s been mentioned on here that Euro 6 exhaust systems run very hot and might be contributory factor. Don’t know if it’s true.
Yeah, they do run hotter. Iirc, the truck evolved in the m180 one was a Merc. the adblue tank is on the os with the exhaust system, and the fuel tank is on the ns. Yes diesel fuel is harder to catch fire. But once it’s going, its going.
There is an awful lot more plastic in the bodywork on modern trucks than used to be the case.
Foden and ERF cabs in the past were made from fibreglass round a steel frame (which burns well with thick black smoke) you can’t get much more flammable than that!
Diesel still burns well, so that only leaves the high temperatures that modern engines run at along with the high exhaust process tempritures.
Another thing with modern trucks is the amount of electronics and electrical equipment fitted
Is it just the fact that everything is caught on camera these days, then published on the Internet for all to see, where as even 15 years ago, very few people would have a camera on them at all times and a truck fire would only make the local press and maybe local TV news.
I think they still catch fire faster and more easily nowadays, having seen in real life and on film, as well of knowing of someone that died in a fire after a crash.
The fact is the temperatures are higher and the diesel tank is still a thin grade of either alloy or steel as has been the case for many years!
Cosmic:
It’s been mentioned on here that Euro 6 exhaust systems run very hot and might be contributory factor. Don’t know if it’s true.
The pipes down from the turbo are not really that much hotter in modern systems, when working hard they will be going up to 300 - 400C as they always have done. However the big difference, is the massive bulk of the DPF; they contain a lot of metal and are very very heavy and as such they will retain heat very well.
I don’t know if the following is the reason however it sort of makes sense to me!
With a traditional system the temperature of the pipes will very rapidly fall (maybe within a minute) to below the auto ignition temperature of diesel which I think is around 250C. In fact I could imagine that diesel coming into contact with the hot pipes would cool them so rapidly they would quickly loose the potential to ignite the diesel.
However as mention above the massive bulk of the DPF will hold its temperature well, it may be staying above the 250 dergee temperature long enough to ignite any diesel coming into contact with it.
I always wonder if it’s partly due to badly fitted electrics that drivers do to hook up investors and lights and all the other spangly items in cabs?
In years gone by, diesel was drawn by a pump on the engine sucking it through the fuel lines. Rupture the line and the pump starts drawing fresh air. On modern trucks the fuel is pumped at high pressure TO the engine. Rupture the line and fuel sprays out in just the right form (fine mist) to be ignited by a handy spark.
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Bluey Circles:
Cosmic:
It’s been mentioned on here that Euro 6 exhaust systems run very hot and might be contributory factor. Don’t know if it’s true.The pipes down from the turbo are not really that much hotter in modern systems, when working hard they will be going up to 300 - 400C as they always have done. However the big difference, is the massive bulk of the DPF; they contain a lot of metal and are very very heavy and as such they will retain heat very well.
I don’t know if the following is the reason however it sort of makes sense to me!
With a traditional system the temperature of the pipes will very rapidly fall (maybe within a minute) to below the auto ignition temperature of diesel which I think is around 250C. In fact I could imagine that diesel coming into contact with the hot pipes would cool them so rapidly they would quickly loose the potential to ignite the diesel.
However as mention above the massive bulk of the DPF will hold its temperature well, it may be staying above the 250 dergee temperature long enough to ignite any diesel coming into contact with it.
Just looked up autoignition point and diesel is listed at about 210 C. (Petrol is listed as 260-280 C)
It’s the flashpoint rather than the auto-ignition point that is significant, as in a big crash there will usually be plenty of sparks etc around.
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Roymondo:
In years gone by, diesel was drawn by a pump on the engine sucking it through the fuel lines. Rupture the line and the pump starts drawing fresh air. On modern trucks the fuel is pumped at high pressure TO the engine. Rupture the line and fuel sprays out in just the right form (fine mist) to be ignited by a handy spark.Sent using smoke and mirrors
I must be well behind the times, lol can you explain where this high pressure pump is and how it works?
Don’t ask me, I am just a car mechanic. 
Binding disk brakes. Never had them years ago.
Good Lord, no! I just drive the bloody thing - I have no idea how it works or where crucial components are located.
Moose:
Roymondo:
Rupture the line and fuel sprays out in just the right form (fine mist) to be ignited by a handy spark.Sent using smoke and mirrors
I must be well behind the times, lol can you explain where this high pressure pump is and how it works?
It would probably be fair to say that common rail injection systems contain fuel accumulated at very high pressures in the supply line ( rail ) to the injectors.Which if it gets out can create an easily ignitable mist of fuel around hot components or shorting broken electric lines and connections.
I doubt there’s more unit Fires. Brakes fires were always a common one. Probably just better reporting, connectivity and awareness of micro society these days. Bare in mind in the 1980s the only things people were aware of in the next town over the boarder were via radio, what ever the 9 o’clock news put out or whatever the evening national rags wrote.
Now everyone knows what colour so and so’s washing is 200 miles away.
coiler:
Binding disk brakes. Never had them years ago.
Drums were certainly not trouble free, I’ve seen them cherry red, and when like that they could certainly light up a trailer. Once had serious brake fade, when it finally come to a rest I got out to take a look, they were glowing away behind the rims, I really don’t know how the tyres didn’t pop - took it steady after that.