MythBusters: Air Cylinder Rocket

[ghostdivision7]

I used to have diving lessons. The first thing they taught me was to never leave a tank standing, but lay it down. So no one can flip it over.

[lexichronicle2]

As someone blow has pointed out, there are actually many, documented, examples of cylinder accidents. If you search for medical oxygen cylinder accident on google, you'll likely find one prime example. There are even photos complete with blood. Another example comes from a shipyard, drilling into supposedly empty and end of life cylinders. Also look for cylinder yard explodes on here, to see just how far they go when fire is involved.

[NiTr091]

scuba air tank will do the same thing?

[ghostdivision7]

@NiTr091

Yep

[nuttyprof99]

Adam's reaction to the hole was just classic.

[IruKakaLover]

Does anyone know what the episode, where they were climbing up and down walls, is called? I'm talking about the episode, where Kari, Grant and Tori were climbing down with their own home-made ropes and Adam was trying to climb up a wall, I think it was a glass wall...

[L1feGoesOn]

These are compressed at about 15000 kPa. It would do some damage

[davidjradich]

Seen something similar happen in a shipyard.

[prizes99live]

420 at 0:18

[73chubby]

@prizes99live only a doper would notice that...awesome! lol

[thecoondog123456]

COOL! We need to put somebodies head in there next time! :)

[themikeg2013]

keep pressing 5!!!!! DO IT

[juggalomatt87]

im a union laborer, and i can say YES this DOES happen, ive been on jobs when guys hit the tops of them with sledghammers, and they will go a few hundred feet if they dont hit anything..logan airport accually sent the feds to our job because they picked it up on radar and thought it was a missile lmao these things WILL go through a brick wall no problem

[SvenTviking]

Compressed air expands faster than high explosive. You'd have thought they would have known this!

[cva42rich]

Actually, it's a cement block wall....not a concrete wall. Two entirely different things.

[Bushougoma]

Well good luck getting your deposit back from the welding supply store XD.

An ordinary tanks flight wouldn't be so directional since it wouldn't be guided.

I've read a report where an O2 tank got it's valve sheared off shot up through a sheet metal roof and flew up 120 feet. After the O2 supply was depleted it then came back down tearing another hole on the roof before finally crashing to the floor.

Bottom line respect your high pressure cylinders.

[argentonath]

@Bushougoma A liquid nitrogen tank blew out through the bottom (its safety disks were plugged), and did some very impressive damage. Cracked a 6" foot concrete floor and shattered the reinforced concrete supporting beam beneath it, then went through a concrete ceiling to smash some water mains. 3ly 8azh

[laronmaron98]

@jbox215,

Many large commercial gas cylinders (9" x 60") hold approximately 2200 psi, with helium cylinders holding the highest pressures.

This can be dangerous, dangerous stuff.

Mythbusters certainly did a service to anyone working with or around these "sleeping giants".

[hazelwood55]

The hole looks like a mouse house hole chewed by a mouse with tungsten carbide teeth.

[yellowcorba1]

my rock hard abs could hold it back.

[000blind000]

@yellowcorba1 your not Chuck Norris

[jbox215]

Does anyone know how much PSI was in the tank?

[Ladomendigo]

well isnt this the way a torpedo works?

[cabbievonbump]

@Ladomendigo No. A torpedo uses (depending on the make/model/year) a turbine or an engine to generate torque for twin propellers. Google torpedoes (Mk 48 USN and Long Lance) for some examples.

[IggyBoyBoy]

DIY mousehole

[Madmark4488]

@ 1:10 Jamie says "It was the lard that did it" - lol

[vacklinge]

this happend in sweden a while back with a bottle of carbonic acid

[bzowy07]

this is a good reminder for those times if you ever have to work with compressed gases, don't knock off the regulator. :P

[CarMoves]

@bzowy07 -- you mean "valve"

[fleafanflea]

this is very true

[lordabomity]

If they would make a runway lets say twice the length, that cylinder would probably go trough both walls and the in to the neighbours house, and out. lolll

[flyinDPOD]

cinderblocks are not as strong as people seem to think. Pick one up and drop it on a concrete floor and it will break. Certainly not the same as a poured concrete / rebar construction.

[subtlewhatssubtle]

The parts of a system out of equilibrium, if given a chance to return to such, will attempt to equalize. This is a very colorful demonstration of such with air pressure.

That said, I would not want to be standing anywhere within a good hundred feet of a pressurized tank with a snapped valve. Doubt the experiment if you wish, but I will kindly stand over here with bones and viscera in the same place they started today rather than argue with Newton's Laws of Motion as applied to propelled metal.

[radiosurgery]

Haha people will even hate on Mythbusters even though it's a great show. What is so wrong about this method? How does it not adequately show that an air tank like that will do serious serious damage if something bad happens.

[TyrannFuhrer]

Adam's laugh at 1:05 is probably the best example I've heard of just pure joy.

[lrhowelltacoma]

Cool!

[toddfilo]

Have you people ever seen a show where these guys did the testing correctly? They're either incredibly stupid, or they're doing it on purpose. Maybe they want to see how far they can push it and the general population will still believe it? I for one am insulted that they expect me to swallow all of these "results" they get.

[csnb2002]

finally someone else who agrees how bogus the conclusions are. true it's tv, but shame on Discovery channel for not at least making them use more than duct tape, a fish tank, bales of hay, paper and markers, to 'bust' myths, some which really did happen and are documented

[trapjohnson]

So if you want harder wall, look at the dent in the wall behind.

I don't want to be between either wall and the cylinder.

[pleasuretrip]

It's a cinder block wall, and as a proof of concept tells you that you don't want one of these tanks flying around you. Your body isn't grouted or rebarred either; this would definitely leave a mark.

[jefwif]

haha yeah and your body isnt rigid so thank goodness it would only leave a mark and not a gaping hole :D

[EmbrunFalcon91]

@jefwif leave a mark? lol it would freaking squish the fuck out of you

[THEMaverickLucky7]

@pleasuretrip That aint gonna leave a mark. Because the part of your body where the mark is will be blown apart

[davetileguy]

cool !!! but the wall is hollow, its not a concrete wall not grouted or rebar.

[AnneBWalsh]

Looks to me like it was made with standard cinder blocks. The "hollow" effect is the holes that are in blocks of that type.

[bwatsizzle]

how can i download this video