On Jun 11, 1:45=A0am, Larry Jaques
Problem is, that when people try to imagine what an air tank failure would look like, their imaginations become filled with fuel/grenade/ gasoline/actionmoviebullshit type explosions.
The escape of normal (135psig?) air pressure out of a failed metal tank will not be accompanied by a full perimeter failure releasing a rather benign quantity of stored energy. It will release in a fart- like measured amount. It will be a big howling puff, but no bang, and any s*it flying will be because of the startle factor, not due to released energy.
For giggles, my mechanic and his friends hooked up a motorcycle inner tube to a 165psig line in a garage and just let it get bigger and bigger. So big in fact that a huge hernia appeared which became almost see-through thin. When it failed, it made a bang, much louder than a balloon, but not mortar launch grade. The flying remnants did knock over a beer, much to the chagrin of one the participants. Yes alcohol was involved. No blown-out windows. The hose-end with the metal nipple did fly around for quite a while till the main valve was shut off.